The Path We Take
by QuietRaine
Summary: A sensation that hadn't been felt since the Fall of Arcadia... Another Time Lord? Is this the key to bringing Rose home? TenRose, with some Jackyumminess and a new face.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my very first Doctor Who fanfic, so please be kind with reviews. I'm still having a little trouble really capturing Jack and the Doctor; they're harder to write for than one might think. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Much as I may wish otherwise, the Doctor is not mine. **

* * *

_**Chapter One**_

He had seen the most breathtaking wonders that the galaxy could offer. He'd witnessed the birth and the death of Earth – could do them both in the same day if he chose. In the 900 years of his life, he had seen planets, people, species and solar systems that would boggle the average human mind.

But with every awe-inspiring sight and experience, it seemed, came yet another loss. His family. His home. Companion after companion.

Rose.

And now here he was, facing yet another loss. Martha, the latest of his traveling companions, had elected to go her own way that very day. Nothing personal, she'd said. She just couldn't ever live up to a memory of her predecessor. She'd always feel like she was living in Rose's shadow.

And, to some degree, he supposed she was right.

At least this time he wasn't left completely alone. In some freak twist of fortune, he and Martha had picked up, of all people, Jack Harkness several days before. Jack may not be the best of company – but at least he was company. As coincidence had it, Jack was able to take several days of vacation from his position at Torchwood, and elected to spend it with the Doctor. A working vacation, he called it. Research.

"So where to next?" Jack asked as the two men stood on the TARDIS. Jack had found himself the only comfortable seat and was lounging arrogantly in it, one arm thrown across the back of his chair.

The Doctor briefly glanced over at him and then back at his time machine. "Well," he replied, slowly, "we don't have the fuel to go too far." He fell silent for a long moment, ignoring the glasses that slipped further down his nose. "There!" he finally cried, jubilantly. "The remnant of a time rift in the Rasarnia system. It should give us enough juice to go on a while."

"Rasarnia," Jack mused, a slow grin spreading over his handsome face. "I had an interesting week there a few years ago."

"I think you've had an interesting week in about half the galaxy," the Doctor retorted, amusement tingeing his tone. With a flourish, he punched the last of his commands into the Tardis and watched as the massive engine fired to life. Moments later, they popped into existence on the planet of Rasarnia, and Jack practically leaped to his feet.

"I like this whole sucking energy out of the world around you bit," he said, stretching, "but…"

"Go," the Doctor replied, chuckling. "If you're out hitting on something else with two legs, at least I'll be safe."

"Oh, come on, I'll buy you a drink first," Jack replied with a mischievous wink.

"Flattering as that sounds," The Doctor replied dryly, "I'll have to pass. I have to do something – anything – other than clubbing with you on Rasarnia."

"You really should go," Jack retorted, leaning casually against the Tardis' controls. "In a place like this even a guy like you could have some…fun."

"I could have 'fun' any time I choose. It will probably never be here, and will definitely never be with you."

Jack took a moment to look his friend over, arms folded over his broad chest. "Seriously," he said, "come with me. Not so I can hit on you – which I can't say that I won't do. More because…" Jack hesitated. "I really hate to see you cooped up in here moping."

"I do not mope," the Doctor replied, indignantly.

"No, you don't," Jack relented. "Not much. But, occasionally since—"

"Don't say it," the Doctor interrupted quietly. The dark look he shot Jack silenced the other man.

Jack sighed and gave up. "Fine, if you want to sit around here and play with your toy, then play away. How long are we going to be here, so I know when to come back?"

The Doctor gave the ship's controls a considering look. "Two days?" he replied. "Shouldn't take longer than that."

A wicked grin spread over Jack's lips. "Just enough time," he said with a nod. And then, with a cheery wave, he exited the Tardis and vanished from sight.

A sigh escaped the Doctor's lips as he glanced down at the instrument panel once again. _At least things won't be boring… _he thought to himself, a smile tugging at his lips. Jack may be flamboyant and arrogant, and he may hit on anything with two legs – and even that was optional at times – but he did keep things interesting.

Then again, sometimes he wondered if he could do with a bit of boring for a while.

God knows things haven't been boring since—

Quickly, he let that thought die. It had been a year since he'd last seen her at Bad Wolf Bay, but the time had not made her memory any less painful.

With the Tardis happily recharging her batteries, the Doctor glanced at his watch and fought off a yawn. Time Lord or no, even he needed sleep every once in a while. He gave the ship one last once-over to make sure that all was in order, and headed to his room deeper into the ship. It took only moments to undress and ready for bed, and soon he was beneath the covers.

He rested one hand behind his head and gazed up at the ceiling in quiet contemplation. Night time, alone in his room, was the hardest. With nothing to distract him or keep his mind occupied, memories assaulted him from every direction. It wasn't just memories of Rose, but of Gallifrey, his home, his family…

Tonight, with Martha's parting still fresh in his mind, it was primarily Rose that drifted through his thoughts. As his mind slowed and began to drift, images of her passed through. The sound of her laugh as she'd lain next to him on the grass on New Earth. His arms ached as he remembered the feel of her in his arms, and he could almost still taste her on his lips the few rare times that he'd kissed her.

Softly, he sighed and shifted uncomfortably in his bed. Perhaps he should think about something else.

Since he was already in a bit of a melancholy mood, he rolled over onto his side and allowed himself a very rare memory. Closing his eyes, he pictured Gallifrey. He could see children – three of them – playing in a field, and heard their laughter ringing in his ears, turning up the corners of his lips. He swallowed a lump in his throat, and let himself remember the sight, the smell, and the feel of the place. If he tried hard enough, he could almost remember the feel and the sense of other Time Lords swirling around him…

Abruptly, he sat straight up in his bed, eyes wide. Had the memory been that strong? Slowly, the tension faded from his body and he slipped back against the pillow. He exhaled slowly and let his mind begin to drift toward sleep again. It had only been his mind playing tricks on him as he'd remembered things long past….

Once again, he snapped up in bed only a moment before. A pin could be heard as it dropped to the floor in the room, so still and silent was the Doctor. No, this time he knew it hadn't been his imagination. It was a flash of a sensation that he hadn't felt in ages. A sensation that he thought he'd never feel again. His muscles were rigid as he sat alert in the bed, anticipating another flash.

The third time, it wasn't a flash, but a prolonged sensation that sent the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. It was unmistakable. He knew what that sensation meant. His dark eyes grew wide and his jaw slid open. "That's impossible!" he suddenly cried with disbelief into the darkness, and leaped out of his bed, throwing his dressing gown on as he bolted from the room and toward the Tardis' main instrument panel.


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, since the throwing of rotten vegetables didn't commence after chapter one, I feel a little more secure about it and I'll go ahead and post chapter two. **

**Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad someone is enjoying it!**

* * *

_**Chapter Two**_

"I can't believe how cute she is," Rose Tyler smiled as she gazed at the small snapshot her father had handed to her. The small, impish blonde girl in the photo grinned out at her, the cherubic face covered in frosting from the child's birthday cake a few days earlier.

"She looks just like her big sister," her father, Pete Tyler, replied. The two of them were in his office at Torchwood, Pete lounging in his chair and Rose perched comfortably on the edge of the desk.

"I still say," came Mickey's voice from across the room, "that you should have a third and name her Petunia. You've got Rose and Lilly. Then you could just plant a garden in the back yard."

Pete shot him a scathing look. "Don't be cheeky," he retorted. "Jacks chose the names. I had nothing to do with that."

"I think Lilly's a beautiful name," Rose defended her baby sister, gazing fondly at the photo. It had taken Rose many months to muster up any real excitement over the impending birth of a younger sibling. Not that she minded the expanding family. Quite the opposite, really, as she'd been over the moon to see her parents reunited, together, and happy. It had taken her months, though, to muster up any real excitement over anything in the weeks and months that followed Bad Wolf Bay. Jackie had fussed and fretted over her for weeks as she'd slipped further and further into depression. She'd hardly eaten, barely slept, and moved through life rather like a ghost.

But time had been a healing balm to her shattered heart, and gradually she had picked up the pieces of her life and began to live again. Her sister, Lilly, had been an enormous part of the healing process. The first time she'd genuinely smiled had been the day that Lilly was born. The first real laugh that had escaped her lips had been in response to the baby's deep-belly giggle. She had gradually begun to let her family in, allowing them to be close to her and be part of her life.

There was still some part of her, though, that she kept closed off from the world. It was that part of her that held Mickey at an arm's length. She saw him watching her with a longing in his eyes, and a love that she simply couldn't return. Couldn't and wouldn't return because her heart already belonged to another.

Another that she would never see again.

She treasured his friendship and was grateful for the calm, steady presence that he had been in her life in these last eighteen months. But she wondered if he would ever come to accept that she couldn't give him what he really wanted. And wondered if what she could give him would ever be enough.

Her hazel eyes lit up with amusement as Pete launched into a new story about Lilly's latest escapades. Family life agreed with him, had softened him. He was more of a family man, now, than an existential businessman. Jackie, Lilly, and Rose were the center of his universe, and he didn't wonder so much about the universe beyond the Earth and its solar system.

"And now she's learning to walk," Pete chuckled, "so I'm sure you can imagine how that's turning the house into chaos."

Rose's amused laugh gradually faded into an expression of confused concentration as a strange sound reached her ears. It was a sound that she'd heard hundreds of times before, yet was so unfamiliar at the same time that at first she thought she was imagining things. She shook her head to clear it, but the sound was still there. "Shh!" she held up a hand to silence Pete and Mickey, ignoring the annoyed look that Pete shot her.

That is, of course, until they too heard the sound and their eyes widened with shock.

The three of them briefly met one another's gaze, just long enough for it to register that each one of them had heard the unmistakable sound reverberating through the air. Once they all heard it, all three of them scrambled for the door, Rose darting out in front of the other two, desperate to reach the source of that wonderful noise.

They rapidly traced the ruckus to the roof of the building, Rose shoving open the door with a loud bang and dashed out onto the rooftop, glancing wildly about.

She would know the sound of the Tardis anywhere. She'd spent countless hours and two long years on the beloved ship. Her heart was in her throat as she caught sight of the light that pre-empted the materialization of the time machine. She couldn't breathe, anticipation and hope dancing in her eyes as the light suddenly gave way to a…

"A Volkswagen van?" she asked in disbelief. It was a complete shock when she'd been expecting the familiar sight of a police box. The van, like the box, was blue and it had a white racing stripe down the side. Rose lifted a brow and eyed it speculatively. Perhaps The Doctor had gotten the cloaking mechanism fixed?

Once again her breath left her as the door slid open. Slowly, she approached the van. For months she had dreamed of this moment, sure that it would never come. Now that it was truly here, she found herself unable to formulate a coherent reaction. She wanted to cry, laugh, and squeal all at the same time. Images of dozens of memories flashed through her mind, her arms already longing to reach for the dark-haired man that she had missed for so many long months.

All of Rose's romantic fantasies were shattered, however, when the van's occupant stepped out. Instead of the dashing, handsome Doctor that Rose had often fantasized about, it was a rather petite red-headed young woman that stepped out. Her hair was rather short, framing her face in wispy clumps that gave her a tousled, off-beat look. She was dressed neatly in a pair of khaki trousers, and a white blouse layered under a deep green v-necked sweater. Comfortable loafers finished the ensemble.

"Oh," the woman said, clearly surprised to have a welcoming committee. She shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her trousers and smiled at each of them in turn, her green eyes sparkling mischievously. "Hello!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Bwahahahaaaa! Time Lord alert, indeed. I hope that I've gotten your attention, and that you're enjoying. **

**And don't judge too harshly at the end of this chapter. She has her reasons for saying what she does, and more will be explained in the next couple of chapters.

* * *

**

_**Chapter Three**_

"Who are you?" Rose blurted out. "What are you doing with the Tardis, and how did you get it to change?"

The woman paused, her smile fading just a bit as she lifted one arched brow. _How does she know about the Tardis?_ she silently wondered. _And what's this blether about it changing?_

Outwardly, she looked Rose over. "This ship has been mine for a long time," she replied. Her tone was very smooth, genial even. Her green eyes seemed to miss nothing as they darted then over Pete and Mickey, who were eyeing her with the same suspicion that Rose did.

"What did you do with the Doctor, then?" Rose demanded, heat flashing in her eyes.

_The Doctor…_ The other woman's eyes widened ever so slightly at that name, a name she had not heard in many, many years. But hadn't she sensed the presence of a Time Lord near this very spot? Wasn't it that, as well as the large fracture in time and space that she'd felt that had pulled her out of her self-imposed exile and brought her here? It seemed impossible. Briefly, she shook her head. Perhaps this young woman could shed some light on the situation.

"How do you know the Doctor?" she asked, her tone even. Inside, both her hearts were beating wildly. She was afraid to even hope.

"You answer my questions first," Rose retorted, setting her jaw stubbornly.

The woman hesitated, again glancing briefly at the two men that flanked the young woman. "It really will make things a lot easier," the older of the two men spoke up, "if you just answer her questions. Mickey and I," he added, nodding at the other man, "are almost as interested in the answers as she is."

Slowly, she nodded, relenting. "Alright, then," she replied, slowly. She hesitated for one more moment before she continued. "My name is Jenaria. Call me Jen," she added, punctuating the request with a smile. "I'm a Time Lord from Gallifrey—"

"That's impossible," Rose snapped, cutting her off. "The Doctor is the last of the Time Lords."

_She knows quite a bit, then…_ Jen thought, eyeing her with increasing curiosity. "And I thought that I was the last of the Time Lords, so it appears that he and I were both mistaken." She paused, her expression thoughtful. "I know the Doctor, and very well. But I thought that he'd died at the Fall—"

"Fall of Arcadia," Rose interrupted, softly.

"Quite right," Jen replied, once again looking the woman over. "So how do you, an ordinary young woman from Earth, know so much about Time Lords, Tardises, and The Time War?"

Rose was beginning to soften towards the woman as it became more and more apparent that Jen was nearly as confused and suspicious as Rose herself. "My name is Rose," she replied. "Rose Tyler. For a long time I was the…traveling companion," she hesitated over the words. She and the Doctor had been more than traveling companions. So much more. "Of a Time Lord. The Doctor. We traveled about the galaxy and in time in his ship, the Tardis. I thought it was the only one, so I assumed…"

"A reasonable assumption," Jen replied, tapping her chin. "So the Doctor thinks that he's the last of the Time Lords as well?"

"He did," Rose replied, nodding.

Jen glanced at her sharply. "Did?"

Pain flickered through Rose's eyes and she glanced away. "We were separated," she began, softly.

By this time, Jen's expression was intensely alert. When Rose did not continue her story, she nodded and held out a hand to the other woman. "Tell me everything," she said, softly.

* * *

"Well," Jen said as Rose finished her story. The two of them had been holed up in Rose's office for hours, Jen curled up in an overstuffed armchair silently sipping on tea and nodding encouragingly as Rose spun the entire tale from beginning to heartbreaking end. "You have had quite the adventure."

"Adventure…" Rose mused, shifting her gaze out the window. "I suppose you could call it that."

_She loves him…_ Jen thought. And who could blame her? She, too, had a love and affection in her heart for the Doctor. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the chair, for the first time truly allowing herself to stretch out with her senses and feel those sensations that she had cut off for so long. The smallest of smiles touched her lips. Yes, she could sense him. And likely he could sense her too. One green eye slid open and regarded Rose as Jen took another sip from her mug. Jen did love the Doctor, dearly. And it was out of that love that the next words slipped past her lips.

"You would go back to him if you could," she observed, calmly.

Without hesitation, Rose nodded. "I would," she replied. "He thought that I'd be upset or lonely being away from my mum, but…" she hesitated. "I feel so empty and incomplete now." She paused and looked up at Jen. "How do you know him?" she asked.

A fair question. "I've known him all my life," she replied, simply, as if that should answer all of Rose's questions.

A horrible thought crossed Rose's mind. "Are you… in love with him?" she asked, pain slicing through her even as she spoke the words.

Jen took another sip of tea and gave the question fair consideration. "Yes," she finally replied, "I suppose you could say that I am. Or I was, once upon a time." She smiled. "And I do still love him, dearly. And I've missed him terribly."

Chastised, Rose again looked out the window. The Doctor had mentioned his family in passing many times in their days together. He'd even once casually mentioned that he'd been a dad once, which boldly implied that he'd had a wife too. Could this strange woman be that wife?

The Time Lady grew quiet for several moments, her expression pensive. "Close your eyes," she finally said softly. "I want to see something."

Rose was surprised by the abrupt request, but without protest she obediently closed her eyes. She didn't move when she felt Jen's fingertips rest on her temples, but she inhaled sharply and shifted uncomfortably when she felt the sudden invasion into her mind.

"Relax," she heard Jen's voice say soothingly. "I only want to view your memories. I won't hurt you, I promise. And if there's something that you don't want me to see, just snap a door shut in front of it. I won't probe past it."

Gradually, Rose began to relax. She could almost mentally see the memories that Jen pressed through. At last, it seemed, the other woman found the memory that she was looking for. And the one that she settled on nearly took Rose's breath away…

_The wind whipped around her as she stood on the still, silent beach, the chill of the air seeming to slice right through to the bone. Somehow, the cold, the wind, and the harshness of the sea had fit her mood as she had stood on that beach and said her final good-bye. "Am I ever gonna see you again?" she had managed to choke out, her tears threatening to overtake her. _

_The entire encounter had nearly been too much for her. She'd wanted to kiss him, hold him, and never, ever let go. And all she had for that one, final encounter was a brief, windswept conversation on a beach in Norway. _

"_You can't," the Doctor had replied softly, his regret evident in his dark eyes. _

"_Then what are you gonna do?" she asked. Speaking was becoming more and more difficult as remorse and grief became more overwhelming. _

"_Oh, I've got the Tardis," he responded, as much to convince himself as her. "Same old life, Last of the Time Lords."_

"_On your own?"_

_All he could do was nod. _

_Rose struggled with her tears and the words she wanted to speak for several moments. "I love you," she finally managed to say around a choked cry._

_Try as he might, the Doctor had not been able to hide just how much her words had affected him. "Quite right, too," he murmured, his voice breaking ever so slightly. _

"_And I suppose…" he continued, huskily. Rose's heart nearly stopped. More than once in their time together he had nearly spoken the words she had longed to hear. "If it's my last chance to say it…" It was evident that he was wrestling with his own emotions. Even now, knowing that it was his last chance, he still stumbled and struggled over the words. "Rose Tyler –" _

_And then he faded to nothingness. _

Jen sat for several minutes with her hands now in her lap as she replayed in her mind what she'd seen. She could tell by the expression in the other woman's eyes that reliving the memory had been painful for her, and she wanted to give Rose a moment to collect herself.

"Why—" Rose began, and then paused to clear her voice. "Why did you want to see that particular memory?" she finally managed to ask.

When Jen looked over at her, there was a troubled expression in the green depths. "I needed to see something for myself," she admitted. "And now that I have…" she hesitated. "I have some work to do," she began. "And it appears that you and I both have some thinking to do."

"Work? Thinking?" Rose was beginning to feel like an incompetent idiot.

"Work," was Jen's response. "I've got to figure out a way to get to him if he's in another timeline, as you say. It won't be easy."

Hope began to take root in Rose's heart. "But it's possible?"

"Quite," Jen smiled. "Before the fall of the Time Lords, we passed through timelines with relative ease. What he said was true; there is a great amount of risk now. But…" she paused, considering. "I don't think it's impossible. I just need to think on it a bit."

"And what should I be thinking about, then?" Rose asked.

Jen's expression softened. "You need to think this over and decide if you want to go with me," she replied, softly. "I know that your first instinct is to hop aboard and leave this minute, but think about it. I can tell you from experience that it's not easy to be permanently separated from your family," she added, gently. "However we end up pulling this off, Rose, it's going to be a one-time shot. There will be no coming back."

Rose's gaze never wavered. "I don't have to think about it," she responded. "I've been faced with this choice before, and I made my choice. It hasn't changed. If you can find a way to get back to him, then let's do it."

_Exactly what I wanted to hear_, Jen thought as a smile bloomed on her face. "Well you certainly have a lot of pluck," she replied. "I can see why he chose you."

Rose smiled ever so slightly. "And what do you need to think about?" she asked.

The gentle smile faded from Jen's face, and she restlessly rose and stepped over to the window. "I'm not sure that taking you with me is the right choice," she admitted, folding her arms over her chest.

Nothing else that she could have said would have neither stunned nor crushed Rose more. She sat, unmoving and gaping at the other woman's back for several long moments as she processed what Jen had just said. Finally she, too, rose and walked over to put a hand on Jen's shoulder. "I'm not sure what your reasons are," she began, softly, "but I will do absolutely anything to go with you." Her tone was soft, pleading, and the anguish that she felt was evident in her wide, hazel eyes.

Jen sighed, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I understand how you feel," she replied, softly. "And if I were in your shoes, I think I'd feel the same way. But Rose… You have to understand one important thing." Slowly, she turned to meet Rose's gaze. "This isn't just about you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Just a short chapter of Doctor and Jack… insanity. I'm getting a little better at catching Jack, I think. Problem is, it seems like he covers a lot of deeper thoughts with his lightheartedness. I'm getting it. Watching Torchwood helps.

* * *

**

_**Chapter Four**_

The door to the Tardis blew open early the next morning, and Jack blew in with a self-satisfied grin plastered on his lipstick-decorated face. "God I love this planet!" he cried as he burst into the ship.

The Doctor looked up from the control panel and chuckled. "I can see that," he replied with amusement.

Cheerfully, Jack strolled up and peered over his shoulder. "You would too if you'd give it half a chance!" he pointed out, strolling to the control panel. "But enough about that," he continued. "Lemme tell you about the night I had…"

"Do I really want to hear about it?" the Doctor asked. "And is this suitable for a family audience?"

"Of course not! That's why I love Rasarnia!" By this point, Jack had recognized that nothing he said was going to pull the Doctor's attention away from the control panel. Exasperated, he walked up next to him and leaned against the panel himself. "So… What are we looking at?"

"I'm been trying to figure out a way to speed up the charging process without blowing a hole in the rift like we did in Cardiff."

"I see…" Jack replied, gazing at the screen. He was quiet for several minutes before he finally shoved the Doctor powerfully on one shoulder. "You jerk! You were going to leave me behind!"

"Actually, something's come up that I would like to leave a bit sooner to investigate," the Doctor replied, frowning, "but I don't think that's going to happen." He glared at the instrument panel, willing the energy charge of his ship to rise faster.

"What's up, Doc?" Jack asked, strolling over to peek at the panel.

"Something you wouldn't understand," the Doctor replied, briefly glaring at the other man.

"Try me," was Jack's retort as he settled down into the seat he had vacated the night before. "You might think that I'm a shallow, egocentric jerk, and… you would be wrong. I'm actually a very sexy, shallow, egocentric jerk. However, that doesn't mean I don't care. Besides, I owe you one for an incredible night in Rasarnia. And believe me, the women of this planet owe you too."

"Alright," the Doctor said, a smug smile falling over his features as he folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the Tardis' control panel. "Any time there are more than one Time Lords in the multi-verse, we can sense one another's presence. Last night, I felt the presence of another Time Lord. Still do, actually," he added.

Jack lifted his chin and looked thoughtful. "I thought you were the only one," he stated the obvious.

"I did too," he said. "This came out of nowhere… almost literally."

"So now you want to go chasing through Lord only knows where to find this person who has been hidden for Lord only knows how long?" he asked.

"Well... yeah," The Doctor replied, as if that should be obvious. "For one thing, I want to know who it is that's scurrying about and why and how they've been hidden for all this time."

"And secondly…?" Jack encouraged, motioning him to go on.

The Doctor hesitated. "I can't get back to Rose on my own," he admitted. "With only one Time Lord, it's just not possible without blowing up two time lines. But with two Time Lords…" he trailed off, glancing up at the green cylinder that propelled the Tardis through time and space.

"Well why didn't you say so to begin with?" Jack replied, grinning. "I'd _looooove_ to see Rose again myself," he added with a mischievous twinkle and a grin on his lips. Carefully, though, he eyed the Doctor. While Rose was a breathtaking beauty, he had more said it to get a rise out of his friend.

Apparently it worked. "Since you like this planet so much," the Doctor snapped, darkly, "how would you like me to leave you on it?"

"I can't say the idea doesn't have its appeal," Jack retorted, laughing. "But I think I'll stick with you. Come on, Doc," he added, flopping down so that he could take a peek at the Tardis. "Let's see if we can figure out a way to get you to that other Time Lord so you can get your girl back."


	5. Chapter 5

**And here we find out why Jen is reluctant to take Rose along, yet we still really don't know who she is. **

**Bwahahahahahaaaaa!

* * *

**

_**Chapter Five**_

"How do you know that she isn't his wife?" Jackie Tyler said as she pulled a squirming Lilly up into her lap. She and Pete sat side-by-side on their couch, facing their older daughter as she went over the entire encounter with Jen with them later that night.

Rose rolled her eyes and ran her hand through her hair. "Unless marriage customs on their home planet are really weird, I doubt she'd even be considering taking me along if she was his wife," Rose pointed out sardonically.

Pete shot her a warning glance and stepped between the two Tyler women before sparks could fly. "You're probably right about that," he agreed with Rose. "But your mother has a good point; how do you know that you can trust this woman? You don't even know how she knows the Doctor. How do you know that she's not an enemy of his?"

Truth be told, nothing that her parents had said was anything that hadn't already crossed her mind. "I don't know that," she replied, honestly. "But I'm willing to take the chance." She leaned forward to speak earnestly to the both of them. "For eighteen months, I've been living but not. I feel like part of me – and important part of me – is missing. If I have a chance, even the slightest chance, of seeing him again, then I'm willing to risk whatever I have to if it means that I can be with him in the end."

"You know," a voice floated over from the doorway, "when you say things like that, you make it nearly impossible to make an objective decision on this." Jen stepped into the room, a thick pair of green, square-framed glasses on her pert, freckled nose. Removing the glasses, she strolled into the room. "And no, I'm not his wife," she said pointedly to Jackie. "Nor an enemy or would-be-assassin," she added, grinning at Pete. Casually, she flopped on the couch next to Rose. "And you're talking like I've decided you could go with me," she said to the other woman, pointedly. "Getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we?"

"Why wouldn't you want to take her?" Pete asked, unable to stand his daughter's crushed expression. "She's experienced in time and space travel."

"I don't doubt her experience, or her desire," Jen replied. She offered Rose a smile. "And I'm completely sympathetic. If it were a simpler situation, I'd tell you to pack your bags right now."

"Then what's stopping you?!" Rose cried, exasperated and desperate.

Jen gazed at her for several long moments. Rose could see within her deep, emerald eyes the conflict and debate. Finally, Jen spoke, her voice soft. "Rose," she began, sighing. "I saw, through your mind, what happened in your last encounter. And do you know what I saw in that scene?" Rose could only shake her head. "As hard as he tried to fight it, he was as crushed and devastated by the situation as you were." Jen smiled, softly. "He tried to keep up a good front, but he would. Rose… Losing you crushed him." She sighed again and gazed out the window. "I can take you back to him now, and the two of you could be happy – for a while." She reached over and rested a hand on Rose's. "But no matter what you do, or anyone does, one day he's going to lose you again. What happens when he does?"

Leaning back against the back of the couch, Jen rested her head back and closed her eyes. "I've often said that our people were given two hearts so that when one breaks, you still have one to keep beating while the broken one heals." She shook her head. "But I think that there are some things that are too much even for a Time Lord." She opened her eyes and glanced at Rose. "So you see the dilemma that I'm in. I can take you with me, and give you both a happy reunion. But one day he's going to lose you again, and I'll have to be there to pick up the pieces."

Rose was silent for several moments as she turned over Jen's speech in her mind. None of what Jen had said was new to her. In fact, her mind immediately jolted back to a similar conversation that she'd had with the Doctor once before…

"_How many of us have there been traveling with you?" She had stormed out of the café after him late one night during one of the rare rows they'd had._

"_Does it matter?" he retorted, refusing to turn around or break his stride._

"_Yeah, it does if I'm just the latest in a long line," she replied, annoyed._

"_As opposed to what?" He finally stopped and spun around to face her, his expression a strange mix of anger and defiance._

"_I thought you and me were… But I obviously got it wrong," Rose replied, stunned by his cold reaction. " I've been to the year five billion, right? But this… This is really seeing the future, you just leave us behind. Is that what you're going to do to me?"_

_The Doctor's reaction to her tirade was to simply let her go on, refusing to meet her eyes. Only when she suggested that she would one day meet the same fate as Sarah Jane did he react. "No! Not to you…"_

"_But Sarah Jane… You were that close to her once. And now… You never even mention her! Why not?"_

"_I don't age," he finally burst out, angrily. " I regenerate. But humans decay. You wither, and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone that you—" He broke off suddenly, unwilling or unable to finish his statement. _

"_What Doctor?"_

"_You can spend the rest of your life with me. But I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That's the curse of the Time Lord."_

"The Curse of the Time Lord," Rose echoed softly, toying with a necklace around her neck. That moment had been one of those rare glimpses that he'd given her of the pain and loneliness that he felt and dealt with on a daily basis for most of his nine hundred years.

"Then I see he's spoken to you about it," Jen said, softly.

Rose looked at her, her expression earnest. "Isn't it better to have a little bit of happiness for a little while than centuries with nothing at all?"

Jen remained silent, only shrugging noncommittally.

"I think," Pete spoke up softly from the other side of the room, "that you really should consider what the Doctor would want you to do, Jen. Don't think of what's best for him. Think of what he'd want."

Jen's brow furrowed slightly for a moment as she thought that over. Suddenly she chuckled to herself and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What?" Rose asked, eyeing her curiously.

"I was just imagining the lecture that I'm going to get about not meddling with time, and responsible travel within alternate dimensions," she replied, amused. "Not that he'd be one to talk." Sighing, she threw her hands in the air and grinned at Rose. "Well, if I'm going to be lectured let's make it one hell of a good one. Rose," she said, "if you're truly sure that you want to go, then pack your bags."

Rose's eyes lit up. "Seriously?" she asked, almost afraid to hope.

"I might as well," Jen conceded. Her pixie-like face bowed up into an impish grin. "Seriously, if I showed up on his doorstep without you, and he'd found out that I'd seen you, I don't think I'd live to tell the tale. Now," she continued, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "That does still leave the problem of how we're going to get there…"


	6. Chapter 6

**And an update! I hope you're enjoying reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it! **

**I'm loving the reviews, too. The feedback is fantastic. Thanks, everyone! hugs

* * *

**

_**Chapter Six**_

Slowly Rose strolled through her parents' large, spacious home memorizing every last detail that she could. She had no idea if this would be her last night there, and that knowledge made it nearly impossible for her to sleep. Her hands traced over the pictures on the mantelpiece, lingering over a framed shot of her, her parents, and her baby sister when Lilly was only minutes old. Picking the frame up, she smiled down at it and wondered if her mother would let her keep a copy of it.

Sighing, she returned the snapshot to the mantle and shuffled her way upstairs. If this wasn't her last night here, she should get some sleep. She would need her strength to get her through the next day or so of saying good-bye to her family. Quietly, she made her way down the silent, dark, still hallway towards the bedroom that she occupied at the back of the house. Halfway down the hallway, however, she noted that a light was still on under the door that her parents had graciously offered to Jen while she was there. Rose hesitated and debated for a moment before she stepped over to the door and knocked softly.

"Come in," she heard Jen's distracted voice call out.

Rose opened the door to find Jen seated at a desk in the room going over a series of notes that she had scribbled on several sheets of notebook paper. The other woman was dressed in pale blue pajamas that were decorated with large yellow stars. On her feet was a pair of oversized blue slippers in the shape of monster's feet. Her hair was pulled up in two haphazard pigtails, and the same pair of thick-framed glasses she'd worn earlier was again perched on her nose as she intensely studied the paper.

"You're up late," Rose observed, slipping into the room and curling on the end of the bed. She glanced over Jen's shoulders to see what the notes said, but quickly found that she couldn't read it. Curiously, she squinted at it, but still none of the lettering made sense.

Jen glanced over and caught her confusion. "Gallifreyan," she said, chuckling. "Although… that does make me wonder why my Tardis isn't translating that for you. I might need to check the translation circuits." She sighed and shook her head. "I've had her in storage for so long that I probably should have overhauled her before I made this trip." Setting down the papers, she turned and smiled at Rose. "And yeah, I am up late. But, to tell you the truth, I don't sleep much. Time Lords don't need nearly as much sleep as humans. A couple of hours does us very nicely."

"Yeah," Rose replied, softly. "I don't remember the Doctor sleeping much, either." She paused. "Except…" she trailed off.

"When he was regenerating?" Jen asked, pulling one foot up onto the chair and resting her chin on her knee.

Rose nodded. "Yeah."

"Not surprising," Jen smiled. "Regeneration takes a lot of energy."

"So what are you doing up?" Rose asked, shifting the conversation away from the Doctor. She was finding herself growing increasingly uncomfortable with the familiarity with which Jen spoke about him. With the intimate knowledge that she had of him and his patterns. Perhaps, she thought, the less they spoke of him the better.

"I was working on a way to get us back to the Doctor," Jen replied, turning in her chair to pick up a paper, "and I think I've figured it out. At least, I hope so."

"Oh?" Rose asked. "How?"

"Alternate timelines are formed every time you or I make a decision," Jen began.

"Yeah, the Doctor told me that once," Rose replied, and then mentally kicked herself for bringing him up again.

"Right then," Jen went on, nodding. "At some point, though, all of the timelines that are formed connect." She held up a paper and drew a line, and then several branches off of it. "So, what we have to do is go back into time to a point that the two timelines connect, and then follow the other time line forward."

"How will we know which line is the right one?" Rose asked.

"Time Lords can sense one another in time and space," Jen explained. "Even as I sit here right now, I can feel the Doctor's presence out there."

Rose shifted uncomfortably. It took every ounce of control that she had to fight back the wail of jealousy that threatened to rear its head in response Jen's last statement.

"So," Jen said, "we find the intersecting point, and then follow it forward straight to the Doctor. He becomes like a homing beacon for the Tardis, leading us straight to him."

Restlessly, Rose stood up from the bed and paced around the room a few times. Finally, she came to a stop in front of the window. "Sounds pretty easy," she stated, flatly.

Carefully, Jen replaced the paper on the desk. "Pretty cut and dry," she replied, casually. "It's not possible with only one Time Lord, but two could pull it off." She fell silent and regarded Rose for a long moment. "You don't sound very excited about it," she observed.

Inside, Rose was wrestling with a myriad of emotions. Excitement at the prospect of seeing the Doctor again. Confusion, as she wondered why on Earth he hadn't followed a plan similar to Jen's and returned to her. And, above it all, insane jealousy at the intimate relationship that this woman appeared to have with her Doctor.

"Who are you?" Rose finally asked, whirling around from the window. "You never did really answer my question. How do you know the Doctor?"

Jen's gaze shifted away. "I told you that I've known him all my life—" she began.

"But that still doesn't tell me who you are," Rose retorted, firmly.

Slowly, Jen's eyes rose to meet hers. "Does it matter?" she asked. "As long as I can take you to him, does it matter?"

"Yes, it does," Rose replied, quietly.

Jen only gazed at the other woman, her green eyes dark with defiance. And it was precisely that look that brought the gasp to Rose's lips. Something in the intensity of the gaze, or the furrow of her brow, or that defiant look behind those thick glasses brought another, very different conversation that she'd had with the Doctor to Rose's mind.

"_Easy for you to say," Rose chuckled as she toyed with another piece of equipment. She and the Doctor were seated on the Tardis, discussing – of all things – children. "You don't have kids."_

"_I was a dad, once," the Doctor replied, his tone so casual, so careful, and so soft that Rose very nearly missed it._

"_What did you say?" she asked, snapping her head back around to look at him. Shock shone on her face as she openly stared at him for several heartbeats._

"_I think we're there!" the Doctor suddenly burst out, completely ignoring Rose's question. He began moving rapidly around the Tardis, his mouth moving as quickly as his feet, rambling on about their current quest, dodging her question until, several minutes later, she forgot completely about it. _

"Dad," Rose managed to squeak out, drawing Jen's sharp glance. "He's your father!"

* * *

**Author's Note: So, was Rose right or wrong? Bwahahahaaaaaa...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Just so you have to wait for at least one more chapter to find out if Rose was right or not…**

**Yes, I am that cruel. **

**Enjoy!

* * *

**

_**Chapter Seven**_

"Alright, old girl, tell me why you aren't pulling energy in any faster than this…" the Doctor murmured softly as he squinted at the console readouts. For two days the Tardis had sat on Rasarnia, soaking up as much cosmic energy as could be found. The ship should be full up and ready to move on her way, but something seemed to be stalling her energy input. What, exactly, he had no idea, and so here he stood in the console room trying his best to figure out the problem.

"Well," he murmured doubtfully, "I suppose this will only set us back a day or so." He sighed and slipped the glasses from his nose. If he really thought about it, he'd have to admit that his real annoyance over the disruption to the energy absorption was that he felt like it was slowing _him_ down. That all-too familiar sensation constantly buzzed in his mind, like the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. The Time Lord he sensed could be friend… or could very well be foe. Visions of The Master and Rani danced through his mind as he considered the later option. Either way, he _had_ to know. And soon.

Idly he wandered around the console, running his finger along the edge of it. Frustrated, he abruptly turned from the console. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he strolled towards the door. If he was going to have to wait, he might as well do something. Suddenly remembering that he was a little low on food, he decided to venture out and seek some supplies.

The Doctor was wrapped up in his thoughts and preoccupations as he stepped out of the Tardis, locking the door behind him. Surely he'd be back before Jack, who did not have a key to the ship. Hands still in his pockets, he turned to stroll down the crowded streets. Who in the entire galaxy could this other Time Lord be? And why hadn't he sensed them before?

He was so involved in his own preoccupations that he didn't even hear the soft footsteps that crept up behind him, or notice the shadow until it was right upon him. He heard the sharp, crack on the back of his head at the same moment that pain exploded, and then the world went dark.

He hadn't even had time to turn around to see what had hit him.

* * *

Jauntily, Jack strolled down the street. He'd had an interesting afternoon strolling about Rasarnia on what he called research. He enjoyed the planet as much for the atmosphere as the activities. Rasarnia was a sort of melting pot of different races, species, and peoples from across the galaxy. He had learned more about alien species in the last 48-hours than he had in the previous 48 days. He'd taken mental notes that, in some ways, he couldn't wait to share with Gwen, Owen, Tashiko, and Ianto when he returned to Torchwood.

Whistling softly to himself, he grabbed the door of the Tardis and moved to push it open. Nothing happened. "Doctor," he called, banging on the door. "Hey, Doc, it's me. Lemme in."

Only silence came from within.

"Hey, come on!" he called, pushing on the door. "I was behaving myself! I was just doing a little research!"

When no answer came after several minutes, Jack sighed and gave up. It was obvious that the Doctor wasn't there. "At least you coulda given me a key," he muttered, jamming his hands in his pockets and turning away. Having already taken a tour of the city, he found himself at loose ends with nothing to do. Sighing, he stopped in the street and glanced around.

And that's when he saw the blood.

Only a few feet from the Tardis door, it started in a small puddle that appeared to be dragged along away from the ship. Curiously, Jack squatted down and examined it, running his finger through the puddle. Sticky, but definitely not fresh. It had been there a while.

Softly, Jack cursed under his breath and dragged a hand through his hair. He had a sinking feeling deep in his gut that the Doctor wasn't coming back any time soon.


	8. Chapter 8

**And awaaaaaaay we go!

* * *

**

_**Chapter Eight**_

The silence that filled the room was deafening. Rose and Jen stared at each other, each daring the other to speak. Inside, Rose was both eager for and at the same time dreaded the next words that Jen would say. An admission would mean that the Doctor was not, as he'd felt for so long, alone.

But the implications of it would nearly be too much for her to take.

Finally, Jen averted her eyes. "You don't seem too surprised," she finally said, flatly. Anger simmered just below the surface of her tone.

Rose felt as someone had punched her, so quickly did the air rush from her lungs. Stunned, her legs gave out from under her and she found herself sitting on the bed staring blankly at Jen. "No, not surprised," she managed to murmur. "He mentioned once that he'd… been a dad."

Jen finally dared to glance over at her. "Rethinking going with me?" she asked, toying with the papers lying on the desk in front of her.

Startled, Rose blinked at her several times. The thought had never crossed her mind. "No," she replied, vehemently. "Why would I do that?"

A soft chuckle escaped Jen's lips and she lifted a brow and smiled tiredly at her. "It can't be easy to be traipsing off with the child he had with another woman," she pointed out, softly.

She swallowed hard as she turned to glance out the window. "He had a life before I came along," she said, softly. "I realize that. It's just… a shock, I guess."

"I'm sure it is," Jen replied, tipping her head back over the back of the chair and closing her eyes.

Again the uncomfortable, overwhelming silence surrounded the two of them. "He thought you were dead all this time," Rose finally blurted out, accusingly. "How could you let him think—"

"I thought he was dead too," Jen replied, gently but firmly. "The circumstances under which we last saw one another weren't exactly ideal," she added, sourly. "Confusion does tend to erupt in the middle of a battle."

"What happened?" Rose encouraged softly.

Jen rose and folded her arms over her chest as she paced over to the window. "I was young," she replied, evenly. "Little more than a Time Tot when the Time War broke out. I had little experience, and with no experience usually comes poor choices." She snorted. "I'm a prime example of that." She turned from the window to look at Rose. "I'm not sure how I survived; I was knocked completely unconscious and fell through the Time Vortex to another dimension – this dimension. I woke up some time later. I have no idea how long I was out… It could have been hours, days, or even weeks. When I came to, though, I couldn't sense any other Time Lords. I tried for a while, but never could."

"The Time War was devastating to many races, and many peoples had very good reason to hate the Time Lords. A young, inexperienced Time Lord on her own would have made a very good target. And so, I made a decision in the name of self-preservation and did what any young, inexperienced, frightened young woman would do: I ran. I found a nice, quiet, out-of-the-way planet, and settled down. And I did something that pained me to no end, but that had to be done: I blocked myself off of the pull and feel of the Time Vortex."

"Can you really do that?" Rose asked, suspiciously.

"Not completely," Jen amended, a small smile tugging at her lips. "But enough that I could fly in under the radar of anyone looking for me." She sighed and sat down on the bed, curling her knees up to her chin. "I regret it now. If I hadn't, maybe…" Closing her eyes, she shook her head and continued. "It was only when a particularly large disturbance appeared in this dimension that it even got my attention. I couldn't ignore it any longer. And so, I took my Tardis out of mothballs, and here I am."

Rose took several moments to absorb all that Jen had said. "I'm surprised that you're not more excited about seeing him," she finally said, softly.

In a rare expression of vulnerability, Jen bit her lower lip. "If you want the truth… I'm a bit nervous," she admitted. "It's been a long time, and the events that led up to our parting were disastrous." She paused and eyed Rose for a moment. "How much has he told you about the Time War and the Fall of Arcadia?"

"Only that the Daleks were completely wiped out at the cost of the Time Lords, and that his entire family was lost," Rose replied.

Jen remained quiet for several moments. "Yeah," she finally murmured. "That's the basic gist of it…"

* * *

"Are you sure you're not forgetting anything? That you have everything you need?"

Rose bit back a smile and turned around to jerk the knapsack on her back away from Jackie's grasp. "Mum, I'm sure," she replied, softly. She knew that Jackie's mother-henning had more to do with Rose's leaving than actual concern over the contents of the backpack.

"If you're sure…" Jackie murmured. Her eyes met Rose's for a long moment, and then filled with tears for the tenth time that day. Abruptly, she turned away to face Jen, who was exiting the Volkswagen van behind Rose. "You take care of her, you hear me?" she said to the other woman. "Make sure she's safe!"

Jen offered her a sympathetic smile. "I'll do my best," she promised Jackie.

"And you!" Jackie then turned back to Rose. "Don't go lookin' for trouble! You and the Doctor, the pair of you just itch for it. Be careful! And tell him I said to keep you both out of trouble!"

"I'll tell him, Mum," Rose managed around the tears that had begun to choke her voice. She cast a brief, questioning glance at Jen who nodded slightly.

"It's time," Jen murmured.

Rose swallowed hard, nodded, and then turned to her family. When she'd faced never seeing them again the first time, the decision and action had been made so quickly that she hadn't had time to think about it. This time she did, and saying goodbye was nearly impossible.

Mickey was the first she stepped up to. "You know, I'd kinda hoped…" he murmured, resting a hand against her cheek. "After Canary Wharf…"

"I know," Rose choked, nodding. "But I couldn't…"

"I know," Mickey replied, smiling. "Couldn't let him go. I wish I could hate him for it, but he's a good guy." Fighting back tears of his own, he pulled Rose into his arms and enveloped her into a hug. "I love you, Rose," he whispered. "And I always will."

"I love you, too," she managed back. And she meant it. Maybe she didn't love him in the deep, romantic way that he wished she did, but she did love him. After a moment, the two of them released one another, and Rose tearfully approached her next target.

It was a pair of targets, actually. Pete Tyler stood holding baby Lilly, his own tears dangerously near the surface. "I feel like I've just finally got to know you, and now I'm leaving," she said, regretfully.

"I know," Pete replied, his own regret shining in his eyes. Silently, he reached over with his free hand and brushed the tears from her cheeks, tears that were immediately replaced with fresh ones as soon as his hand moved away.

Lilly suddenly squealed, prompting a tearful chuckle from Rose. She leaned over and kissed her sister's forehead, then stroked the downy cap of blonde hair on the top of her head. "You be a good girl, alright?" she said, softly. "Don't give Mum and Dad too much trouble." Tearfully, she looked up at Pete. "Promise me…" she began, and then swallowed away the tears in her voice. "Promise me that you'll tell her about me," she requested, softly.

"Absolutely," Pete replied. "I'll tell her all about her brave, beautiful big sister who helped save the world and everyone in it."

Undone, Rose threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. Pete held her for several minutes, unwilling to let her go. Finally he pressed a kiss to her temple and released her, gently turning her around to face the last of her goodbyes.

Jackie made no effort to stem the flow of tears that slipped openly down her cheek. This was the hardest good-bye of all. Through Rose's mind flashed a million memories of her and Jackie together through the years. With a soft cry, Rose dropped her bag and threw her arms around her mother.

"I can't let you go," Jackie whispered, holding her oldest daughter tightly.

"Oh, you don't need me anymore," Rose tried to sound cheerful. "You've got Dad and Lilly…"

"And I love them, terribly," Jackie replied. "But no one can replace my Rose."

"I'll still be able to call you," Rose choked. "Let you know how I'm doing. Let you know that I'm alright. And, maybe one day…"

"I won't get my hopes up," Jackie replied. "I couldn't stand having my heart broken if you never come back." Bravely but reluctantly, Jackie released her daughter. "You take care of yourself, now," she said. "Don't forget about us."

"I never will," Rose replied, squeezing her mother's hands. She hugged her tightly one last time, and then bravely turned to face the Tardis. Wiping away her tears, she nodded to Jen. "I'm ready," she said, her voice wavering with tears.

"Well then," Jen replied. She cast a goodbye wave to each of the gathered members of Rose's family and then slipped into the Tardis.

Slowly, Rose made her way to the van. She put one foot into the open door, and then paused to look back at her loved ones. A soft, wavering smile touched her lips. "Goodbye," she murmured softly, and then hoisted herself up into the van, the door slipping shut behind her. A moment later, the bright light on top of the ship began to flash, and within seconds the ship was gone.

They were on their way.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter Nine**_

The inside of Jen's Tardis was bright, shiny, and clean compared to the Doctor's beloved ship, which Rose was far more used to. Awestruck, she paused in the console room and spun slowly around, taking in the cool, clean, metallic lines of the ship's interior.

"You act like you've never seen one before," Jen chuckled from behind the controls.

Rose blushed and snapped her head around to look at her. "Well," she began. "It's just that the Doctor's ship looks so much… older?"

Jen laughed. "His has also seen a few hundred years more use than this one has," she replied, still chuckling. "This one barely has a dent in her as far as time travel goes."

"How old are you, anyway?" Rose asked, dropping her bag to the floor and stepping over to the console to help Jen. She was relieved to find that the controls were much the same as they were on the Doctor's Tardis, and quickly jumped in with both feet.

It took a moment for Jen to reply as she pondered the question. "I don't think I've really thought about it for a while. I suppose that I'm about 250 years old by now." She lifted an eyebrow and grinned. "Barely out of nappies as far as Time Lords are concerned."

Rose chuckled. "You said that we need to go to a point in history in which the two timelines intersect. How will we do that?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Well," Jen replied, fiddling with the controls, "there is only really one point in the history that I can think of that would guarantee that the two lines would intersect." She grinned over at the blonde. "How would you like to see the world as its being born?"

"Fantastic!" Rose replied, a grin touching her own lips.

"Right then," Jen replied. "We're off!"

* * *

Slowly, carefully, Jen slid the door of the Tardis open and peeked out into the world on which they had landed. When she was certain that it was safe to exit, the door opened all the way and she climbed out, stopping just outside to examine their surroundings.

As Rose followed her out, she noted a curious expression on Jen's face. Her brow was wrinkled thoughtfully as she looked around, attempting to place whatever rock they had managed to land on.

Finally the woman burst out, exasperated, "Rasarnia!? What the devil is he doing on Rasarnia?"

"What's wrong with Rasarnia?" Rose asked.

"It's not exactly the most savory planet in the galaxy," Jen replied. "Stick close. I did promise your mum that I'd look after you." The two women began to stroll down the street, pointedly ignoring the curious and oftentimes lecherous stares of men that passed them by. "Rasarnia is the dodgiest planet ever known," she continued as they walked along.

"What's wrong with it?" Rose asked, although she was really getting a good idea for herself what was wrong with it.

"The worst of the worst congregate here," Jen replied, wrinkling her nose at a particularly forward looking man lurking in a doorway that they passed. "Rapists, murderers, prostitutes… It's a place ruled by organized crime, and full of the most unsavory characters you'd ever meet—"

"Jack!" Rose suddenly cried out, and broke out into a run away from Jen.

Ahead of them, a dark-haired man turned curiously at the sound of her voice. When recognition lit up his face, he laughed and stepped forward to meet Rose halfway and swept her up off of her feet in a rib-crushing hug. "Rose!" he enthused, spinning around in the street with her still up in his arms. He pulled his head back just enough so that he could look at her. "Man, you're a sight for sore eyes!"

"How are you?" Rose asked, hugging him tightly and laughing. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm traveling with your favorite Doctor and mine," he replied, setting her back down on her feet. "We stopped here because there's a time-space rift running through here, and the Tardis needed to refuel."

"The Doctor?" Rose replied, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. "He's here?"

A sudden, polite clearing of the throat behind her abruptly brought Rose back to Earth, so to speak, and she spun around to face Jen, only then remembering that she was there.

"Who's your friend?" Jack asked, his eyes trailing over Jen speculatively.

"This is Jen," Rose replied, lifting an eyebrow. "And don't go getting any funny ideas."

"Me?" Jack feigned innocence. "Funny ideas?" He held out a hand to Jen. "Captain Jack Harkness," he said, introducing himself with a wide, dashing smile.

Jen couldn't help a smile as she graciously accepted his hand. "Jen," she replied.

"Jen—?" he asked.

"Jenaria." There was a pause as Jack waited for her to continue. Jen sighed heavily. "Jen… Time Lady," she finally supplied, biting the inside of her lip to keep from laughing.

Recognition dawned on Jack's face. "So you're the other Time Lord – or Lady, as the case may be – that's been skulking about and getting the Doctor all flustered."

"That would be me," Jen smirked.

"So where is he?" Rose asked, scarcely able to contain herself any longer. She could already hear his laugh, feel his arms around her. It had been so very long.

"Ahhhh," Jack hedged. "The thing is…" he hesitated again. "I'm not really sure."

The two women shot one another a curious glance and then eyed Jack once more. "You're not sure?" Jen asked.

"See, the thing is…" Jack dragged a hand through his hair. "He's kinda… gone missing."

"Jack!" Rose cried. "What do you mean, gone missing? For how long?"

"Ahhhh… three days?" Jack replied.

"Three days!?" By now Rose was beginning to work herself up into a fine temper. "He's been missing for three days, and you haven't gone looking for him? After all the times he's rescued us, you'd just leave him—"

"Hey!" Jack replied. "You say that like I've been doing absolutely nothing for three days! I haven't eaten, haven't slept… I've spent the last three days sticking my nose into some rather unpleasant situations here on this filthy rock trying to find him!"

The two of them were so wrapped up in their rather heated discussion that both failed to notice that Jen had fallen silent, her eyes closed and brow furrowed as if deep in concentration.

"He's nearby," she finally said, opening her eyes.

Both Rose and Jack paused and stared at her. "How do you know that?" Jack asked.

"Time Lords can communicate via telepathy," she replied. She paused, and took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything more detailed than that." Glancing at Rose, she hesitated. "Something…is clouding his mind."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, leaning against Jack for support.

"I can center in on him enough to know that he's close, but his mind is so unclear and unfocused that I can't zero in enough to make sense of anything," she explained. She folded her arms over her chest and looked thoughtful for a long moment. "Jack," she finally said, looking up at him. "Have you asked the Tardis where he is?"

"First of all," he replied, "for some reason the Tardis doesn't really like talking to me much. Maybe I should have bought her a drink or something first." He smirked at Rose. "Secondly… I, ah, can't get into the Tardis…"

Jen only stared. "Pardon?" she finally asked.

"I, ah…" he hesitated. "Kinda don't have a key…"

"Bloody hell…" Jen muttered.

"I can solve that problem," Rose spoke up, reaching under her shirt. She withdrew a small silver key on a long chain that she'd kept tucked away and safely hidden. "You may not have a key, but I do."


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: I've been getting a lot of requests for information as to exactly what happened to the Doctor. And I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint. We'll be finding out what happened to him just as Jen, Jack, and Rose do. We might get a brief appearance or two by the Doctor, but for at least another couple of chapters we'll be focusing mostly on this Trio and their adventures in trying to reunite with the Doctor. **

**But, then, once he is located, there will be some more adventures involving him, and repercussions that will be involved with his reunions with both Rose and Jen.

* * *

**

_**Chapter Ten**_

Rose's hand hesitated as she reached for the lock on the door to the Tardis. She had dreamed about this moment for nearly two years, but never had she imagined that it would be like this. In her dreams and fantasies, she'd thrown open the door to find his grinning face waiting for her on the other side, and she'd thrown herself into his waiting arms. Briefly, their reunion after he'd fallen into a pit a galaxy and several years away flashed through her mind, and she sighed.

Slowly, she turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open. Part of her half-expected to see him calmly waiting for them, puttering around with the Tardis' controls and muttering to himself as he often did when he was wrapped up in his work. Holding her breath, she stepped into the ship.

It was a still, silent control room that greeted her. She didn't know why she expected otherwise. Jack wouldn't lie to her, and despite his debonair attitude, he did seem as genuinely concerned about the situation as she and Jen were. Still, finding the empty ship was a let-down.

And at the same time, strangely not. She paused on the entrance ramp about halfway up and gazed around the console room, her eyes sliding over every detail of the familiar room. A soft, slow smile began to tug at the corners of her lips, and she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, that comforting, familiar old smell that was simply the Tardis, mixed with a faint trace of the Doctor's cologne.

She was home.

"Hello, Tardis," a warm voice spoke up behind her. She turned around to glance at Jen, who was having her own homecoming experience with the ship. Jen gazed up, a grin on her lips, her arms folded over her chest. "It's been a very long time."

The ship responded with the familiar beeps and chirps that made Rose laugh. She strolled over to the familiar loveseat and flopped down on it comfortably. Amused, Jack pushed past Jen and sat down next to Rose.

Jen's smile faded into a scowl. "What do you mean, 'Who am I?'" she retorted to the ship, indignantly. "I know I've regenerated a time or two since we last saw one another, but inside I'm the same person! I used to play hide and seek here inside of you, and you helped me hide from my brother and my sister."

Rose looked momentarily startled, and her heart twisted as she glanced sharply at Jen. The Doctor hadn't had one child, but three. At least. The simple, casual statement was a stark, cold reminder of just how much he had lost.

Slowly, a smile spread over Jen's lips as she listened to the Tardis' response. "Yes, that's right," she replied. "It's me, Jen. It's been a long time, ol' girl. It's good to see you." The smile widened, then, and she laughed. Turning to Rose, she offered a warm smile. "Tardis says that she's very glad to see us both. She said that our Doctor hasn't quite been the same since you've left, and that she has missed you too."

"I've missed you too, Tardis!" Rose cried, delighted to receive such a warm greeting from the beloved ship.

Jen's smile faded, however, as the ship continued. "Yes, Jack told us that he's gone missing. What did you see?" Rose could swear that the ship sounded serious and somber as it continued. Perhaps, however, it was only the continued furrowing of Jen's brow that made her feel that way. "You're sure?" Jen finally asked. The Tardis chirped in affirmation, and Jen thoughtfully folded her arms over her chest and leaned back against the console. "Hmmm…" she murmured.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"Tardis said that the Doctor left three days ago with the intent of getting some food supplies. When he stepped out he was distracted, and wasn't paying attention, and so someone rapped him on the head and dragged him off."

"So he's been kidnapped?" Rose asked, eyes widening with concern.

"It would appear that way," Jen replied, glumly.

"Who would want to kidnap the Doctor?" Jack interjected, dubiously. "And how did the Tardis know what happened?"

"Tardis is telepathic," Jen replied, "and she's specially synchronized with the Doctor. Even if he's not inside the ship, she can still detect his thought patterns and brainwaves. So she might not have actually seen what happened, but she was aware of it as it happened to him, largely from his point of view." Her brow furrowed. "Tardis is running into the same problem that I am, however: something is clouding his mind and making it nearly impossible to make a telepathic connection with him."

"What could cause that?" Rose asked.

"A number of things," Jack spoke up. "Drugs. A telepathic wave interference device…"

"Extreme pain or distress…" Jen added, softly.

All three of them fell silent, a dark gloom settling over the three of them.

"I'll ask it again:" Jack finally said. "Who would want to kidnap the Doctor?"

Jen laughed, a short, bitter sound. "Any number of people. He has many enemies, for starters." Darkness settled into her green eyes. "Many peoples and races were affected by the Time War and the aftermath. For all we know, it could be someone seeking revenge on the Last of the Time Lords in repayment for that." Brusquely, she pushed herself away from the console and shoved the sleeves of her shirt up. "Alright, then, no more moping about," she said sharply to both Jack and Rose. "We've got a lot of work to do if we're going to find him." Without waiting for either one of them to respond, she strode purposefully toward the door and stepped outside.

Jack watched her go. "She's certainly to the point," he observed, his eyes following her out the door.

Rose snorted. "You'll never get her into bed," she replied dryly.

He turned and glanced down at her, indignant amusement lighting his eyes. "I'll bet you ten bucks that I can," he replied.

"Jack Harkness, how dare you suggest that I would make a bet on something as beautiful and sacred as sex—" she began.

"Twenty."

"—A beautiful experience meant to be shared between two people who genuinely love each other—"

"Fifty."

"Done."

Outside, they found Jen carefully scrutinizing the outside of the Tardis and the area surrounding it. "Jack, you said that you were looking into the situation when we arrived. Did you find any kind of evidence at all?" she asked, intently.

"There was a little bit of blood right here," he said, squatting down and running his fingers over the concrete. Jen squatted down next to him and listened. "It was just a little puddle and a trail. Trail stopped after about two feet, so it really didn't give me much to go off of. It rained yesterday, so it's pretty much washed away."

"Right," Jen replied, her eyes already darting around thoughtfully. After several moments, they came to rest on two rather elaborately-dressed women across the street. Inspiration suddenly fell over her features, and she pushed herself to her feet and began to walk in their direction. "Prostitutes…" she murmured.

"What about them?" Rose asked, taking off after Jen, though it was a struggle to keep up.

The sound of her voice seemed to pull Jen out of her thoughts, and she gazed at Rose for a moment as if she had only just remembered that both she and Jack were there. "Prostitutes are usually very territorial," she replied. "Most of them have a set area in which they work, and don't really allow newcomers into their territory. There's a good chance that those ladies over there might have been working that night, and may have seen something."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Jack asked, falling into step behind the two women.

Rose couldn't suppress a chuckle. "I'm shocked that you didn't," she shot back, and was rewarded by a sharp poke in either rib, which elicited a brief squeak from her lips.

"Excuse me," Jen spoke up, addressing the women as she approached them. "I need to speak with you."

The two women glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. "Sorry, sweetheart," the first one replied. She was the taller of the two, with rich dark hair and luscious ruby lips. "We're not into multiples, no matter what the price is."

"Flattering as that assumption might be," Jen replied, dryly, "I wanted to speak with you on something of more of a personal matter." She pointed over in the direction of the Tardis across the street. "A few days ago a man exited that box and was kidnapped. Would either of you happen to have seen anything?"

"Men and women both are kidnapped outta this city every day," the second woman replied. She was petite, delicate, and blonde. "Ain't nothin' new."

"This man was very well-dressed, with thick, dark hair. Very charming. Probably wearing a long coat, trainers. Possibly thick glasses," Rose spoke up, earnestly. "He disappeared about three days ago."

The pair looked at each other blankly, and then shook their heads at Jen, Jack, and Rose. "Sorry, sweetheart. Doesn't ring a bell."

The trio glanced at one another with defeat, and then sighed heavily. "Thanks anyway," Jack said, slipping an arm around Jen's and Rose's shoulders to lead them away.

"Wait!" the blonde suddenly spoke up, as if something had just occurred to her. "You might check with Mary."

"Mary?" Rose asked, whirling back around.

"Yeah," tall and brunette answered. "She works this corner in our off hours. You might have trouble getting anything out of her, though."

"And why is that?" Jen asked, curiously.

"She's young, and new at this. Grew up in a right proper home, so all of this," the brunette said, sweeping a hand around at Rasarnia in general, "is a bit foreign and… much for her. Fell into hard times, so she picked up this line of work in desperation. But she's pretty quiet and doesn't talk much. Even if she saw something, she might not say. Try back in about three hours, and she should be here. Can't miss her. Really young, redheaded, and you can smell the fear on her a mile away."

Glances were exchanged between the three time travelers. "Thank you so much for your help," Jen replied, sincerely.

"No problem," the blonde replied. Her large, blue eyes traveled up Jack's body. "You interested in thanking me right proper, sweetheart?" she cooed.

"Tempting as that is," Jack replied with a crooked grin, "you couldn't handle me." And with that, he turned to walk away with Jen and Rose.

"So a reluctant young prostitute may be the key to unraveling this little mystery," Jen replied, thoughtfully.

"We should just send one of us in to start," Rose said. "It might be a bit easier for her to open up if there's not so many of us on her at once."

"Yes," Jen agreed, "and we'll need someone with a nice, soft touch."

Slowly, wicked grins on their faces, both women stopped in their tracks and turned to gaze up at Jack.

"Now why is it that the first time we have a prostitute to interrogate, I'm the one that gets elected?" he complained.

"Because, Jack," Rose replied, sweetly. "You're the most charming of the three of us."

"Certainly the most charismatic," Jen agreed, smiling up at him. "And definitely have the best way with the ladies."

"Alright, alright," Jack waved them off. Grinning he straightened his tie. "Difficult as it'll be, I'll take one for the team."


	11. Chapter 11

_Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I'm in my last semester of college, and things have been kinda crazy. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_

Chapter Eleven

"Do you suppose that's her?" Rose asked, peeking out of the door of the Tardis and across the street.

Jen's face appeared below hers and Jack's above. All three of their eyes were trained on a young, redheaded woman across the street who hesitantly approached men as they passed her by. "She certainly fits the description," Jen replied. "And the time frame is just right."

"Well then," Jack said, pushing past the two women and smoothing his dark hair, "I guess it's time to go to work."

Rose chuckled. "Don't work too hard!" she said, mischievously.

Both of them missed the sudden serious and far away expression that fell over Jen's features. "Jack," she suddenly called after him, a troubled look in her eyes. He turned and met her gaze curiously, a feeling of dread falling over him when he caught her expression. "Hurry," was all she said, an undercurrent of urgency in her voice.

He paused in his stride and stepped back to her. He wasn't sure what she had seen or sensed, but it was genuine fear he saw in her eyes. Gently, he rested a palm against her cheek. "I'll do my best," he promised, and then turned to approach the young woman.

"What is it?" Rose asked, stepping back. "What's wrong?"

"It's…" Jen hesitated. She straightened to a full standing position, but avoided Rose's gaze. "It's nothing."

"Tell me," Rose insisted, stepping closer.

Jen still hesitated, but finally brought her green eyes up to meet Rose. "I don't know where he is," she said, gently, "but he's in pain."

Rose felt as if a sudden vice had clamped around her heart. "How much?" she asked, weakly.

A bitter smile tugged at Jen's lips. "It would have to be quite a bit to project to me the way that it did."

Slowly, Rose turned away and walked back into the Tardis. A mix of emotions churned inside of her. Worry. Fear. Jealousy over a connection that Jen had with him that she couldn't share. A sudden desperation to find him as quickly as possible, and extreme annoyance at the slow, tedious methods that they had to undergo in order to accomplish that.

"Hey," Jen said, softly, "he's tougher than he looks. Worse comes to worst, he'll simply enter a regeneration cycle." A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she glanced up at the ceiling. "Tardis, exactly how many times has he regenerated?" The bleeping reply had her eyebrows lifting. "Yeah, we definitely want the regeneration cycle to be a last resort."

"Why's that?" Rose asked. "I mean, I know it's not exactly easy on him, but give him some rest and a good cup of tea…"

"He's regenerated nine times," Jen pointed out, folding her arms over her chest and leaning back against the Tardis console in such a Doctor-esque manner that Rose nearly laughed. "The most that any Time Lord has ever been able to regenerate is thirteen. I can't imagine that he'd have too many more regenerations left in him. Better to conserve if possible."

"The way he described it to me," Rose said, "it sounded like he could go on regenerating forever."

A soft, sad smile blossomed on the corners of Jen's lips. "Nothing lasts forever, much as we might want it to." She paused and looked thoughtful. "Then again…" she mused. "Considering all that he's been through, I can't help but wonder if he doesn't feel like it does go on forever."

* * *

"Come on, Mary," Jack coaxed, following the young woman down the street. "I just want to talk to you for a minute."

"Unless you're paying, buzz off," she replied, quickening her pace and ducking her head. It occurred to Jack that she wasn't entirely cut out for this business. If she were, she'd be doing her best to land him as a customer, not brushing him off.

"Look, I'll pay you the regular hourly rate," he said, reaching for his wallet, "but not for what you normally do. I just want to talk."

The girl halted in her steps and lifted her gaze up to him. _Christ, she can't be more than 18…_ Jack thought as he looked down at her young, earnest face. _Way too young to be mixed up in this kind of thing._

"You mean to tell me that you'd be willing to pay me a hundred quid just to talk to me for an hour?" she asked, skeptically.

He inwardly winced at the price, but nodded. "Yes. Because what I have to ask you is that important to me."

Jack could see her inward debate for several moments before she finally relented. "Alright," she agreed. "Let's talk."

Gallantly, he led her into a nearby bar and to a quiet booth in the back. The two of them settled down and ordered their drinks. When they were both nursing a quiet cocktail, Jack looked across the table at her with a serious expression. "A few days ago, a friend of mine was kidnapped from the corner right across the street from the one that you work," he began, conversationally. "Your coworkers thought you might have seen something."

Mary stiffened and dropped her eyes to her drink. "They're wrong," she replied, her eyes fixated on the glass in front of her. "I didn't see anything."

Jack raised an eyebrow and took a casual swallow of his drink. "You sure, Mary?" he asked. "Something tells me that you did."

"I didn't!" she insisted, lifting defiant, dark eyes up to his.

Slowly, he swirled the liquid around in the glass and gazed at it. "Think really hard, Mary, and make sure you didn't. It was three days ago, around about this time." He took a sip of the drink. "It's really important that we find my friend," he went on, earnestly. "He's a good man, not involved in any activities on this planet. He'd just stepped out for a bite to eat and someone knocked him on the head." Jack heaved a heavy, sad sigh. "He's got a kid, you know. A daughter." His eyes had a sad look about them. "Jen really misses her dad."

He could tell that Mary was beginning to crumble. Her eyes shifted around the bar. "I might have seen something…" she murmured, biting her lower lip.

"Tell me what you saw, Mary," Jack pleaded, reaching across the table to grasp her hands. "Help me bring Jen's dad back to her."

The girl fell silent for several minutes, silently toying with the glass in front of her between her hands. "It was Rooney's goons," she finally spoke, softly.

"Rooney?" Jack asked, leaning forward.

She nodded, slowly. "He owns about half of the west side of the city, but the center of his… operations is the Club 48. It was definitely his men," she went on. "They're frequent… customers." Her dark eyes suddenly flew up to his. "Please don't tell them I told you," she pleaded. "They'll kill me, and that's no exaggeration."

Jack smiled charmingly at her and squeezed her hands. "Don't worry, Mary. Your secret's safe with me."

* * *

"The Club 48, eh?" Jen mulled it over inside of the Tardis a bit later. "What kind of a place is this?"

"It's a pretty high-class joint on the other side of town," Jack replied. "There's rumors that it's a high-class way of laundering Rooney's money, but no one has a way of proving it. And no one cares about it enough to try and find a way."

"High class…" Rose murmured. "It'll mean dressing up a bit…"

"Dressing up?" Jack asked.

"So we don't blow our cover when we slip inside," she explained a cheeky grin on her lips.

A slow grin of her own began to slide over Jen's face. "Well then," she replied, lifting a brow. "I suppose a trip to the wardrobe room is in order."

* * *

A soft groan escaped his lips as he fought his way through the thick darkness that clouded his mind. As he fought closer and closer to the surface of consciousness, the overwhelming pain threatened to overtake him more and more. His head ached, ribs throbbed, and shoulder felt as if someone had ripped his arm out of it's socket and jammed it carelessly back in.

Slowly his eyes slipped open and then blinked against the harsh, cruel light from the single bulb in the middle of the room. He was in the same dank, cold room that he'd been in for days. Wrists bound to the stone wall behind him, stripped to the waist, and without his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor had absolutely no way of wrangling an escape. He'd tried reasoning with his captors, and even craftily tricking them, but they staunchly refused to let him go.

And he still had no idea why he'd been taken prisoner in the first place.

He wasn't fed much, but he was fairly certain that what he was fed was drugged. His mind was in a constant state of fuzziness so that even the most basic of thoughts required a tremendous amount of effort to focus on. As a result, he quickly tired in the rare instances that he woke up. Most of the time, it was simply easier to sleep the time away.

But he had to believe that Jack was looking for him. Oddly, that gave him some sense of comfort. Whatever arrogant and debonair attitudes Captain Jack Harkness had, the Doctor knew that beneath the casual surface lay a steely resolve and hard determination. The man had worked for Torchwood for years, and was a well-respected member of the organization. Jack would find him. But, how long would it take?

Somewhere in the recesses of his clouded mind, he remembered that all Torchwood employees had a minimal level of psychic training. Which meant that if he tried hard enough, he just might be able to help Jack along. Closing his eyes, the Doctor stretched out as far as the fuzz around his mind would allow, seeking out his friend in hopes that it would help the man find him. Beads of sweat began to pool on his feverish brow as he strained against the murky restraints on his mind and struggled to reach his friend and lead him there. Eventually, the strain became too much and he had to break off his struggle, collapsing back against the cold, unforgiving stone wall.

As he felt the beginnings of unconsciousness begin to overtake him once more, a strange sensation began to wash over him. It was a feeling that was so warm, so impossibly familiar that the Doctor had to believe that he was either dreaming or hallucinating. Just before unconsciousness hit, he could swear he heard a soft, sweet voice in the back of his mind telling him to relax, and that everything would be fine.

"Jen..?" he murmured drowsily. And then everything went dark.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"I feel like we've gone back in time, not forward," Rose commented softly into the headset attached to her ear. She was weaving through the crowded casino room of the Club 48, dressed in a classy 40's style dress, black with white trim. Her blonde hair had been caught up in an elegant chignon. She looked elegant, classy, and felt very retro.

"Personally, I kinda like it. Whoever this Rooney is, he's got style," Jack replied, touching his own headset. The 40's dance-hall style club fit Jack Harkness to a T. He felt as if he'd died and gone to heaven as he moved through the room, flashing charming grins at the beautifully dressed ladies that passed him.

Rose caught his eye from across the room and grinned at him. "You would," she replied, chuckling.

"Do we know what this Rooney looks like?" Jen's voice floated into both Jack's and Rose's ears. He glanced across the dance floor and caught sight of her on the other side of the room, a vision in a deep, emerald green gown with capped sleeves and a mandarin collar. He could also see the fiery flash of impatience in her green eyes as she surveyed the room, looking for any clue as to the whereabouts of the elusive Mr. Rooney.

"The description that Mary gave me could fit about half the men in this room," Jack replied. "Dark hair, kinda dumpy, lecherous gleam in the eye."

"Oh, that does narrow it down," Rose said sarcastically, glancing over her shoulder at a table full of men playing poker, every one of which could have fit the description Jack had just given them.

"Hang on," Jack replied. "Lemme see if I can speed this process up a bit…" He released the button on his headset and sauntered up to the bar. Leaning casually against it, he ordered a drink. When the glass was handed to him, he took a long, slow sip, and then addressed the bartender again. "I'm looking for Mr. Rooney," he said.

The bartender raised an eyebrow and looked over at Jack disdainfully. "Mr. Rooney is not taking visitors tonight," he replied, sending Jack a scathing look.

Unperturbed, Jack took another sip of his drink. "So he is here tonight?"

The bartender did not answer. He simply glared at Jack once again, and then turned to serve another customer.

Chuckling to himself, Jack stepped away from the bar and depressed the button on his headset once more. "Mr. Rooney is not accepting visitors tonight," he mimicked the bartender, dryly.

"Oh, that helps," Rose replied, sardonically.

"Actually, it does," Jack responded. "He didn't say that Rooney isn't in; he said that he's not accepting visitors."

"Which means that he's likely in, but not in the dance hall or the casino," Jen replied, thoughtfully.

"So we should look for a doorway, somewhere that leads off of the main halls" Rose added, already spinning around to survey the walls.

Silence hung over the lines of communication for several moments as each of the three individuals searched their surroundings for something, anything, that might lead them to the elusive Mr. Rooney. "Found a door," Jack finally said. The women could hear him struggling for a moment, before he finally added. "And it's locked."

"On my way," Jen replied. Rose caught up with her halfway across the room and the two women approached Jack together. Stealthily, she reached into a hidden pocket on the side of her dress and withdrew a small tool. "Cover me," she said to her comrades.

Jack and Rose both stepped in front of her, shielding her from the rest of the room. "Sonic screwdriver?" Jack asked conversationally, giving every appearance of being deep in a conversation with the blonde by his side.

"Close," Jen replied. "Psionic wrench. It runs off of the brain patterns and thoughts of its owner. Completely useless to anyone but me." A moment later, Jack and Rose heard a telltale click behind them. "And we're in," Jen breathed, softly.

It took only a moment for the three of them to slip unnoticed through the door and into a corridor on the other side. At the end of the corridor was a single doorway. The three of them glanced briefly at each other, and then Jen shrugged and began in the direction of the door.

"Wait a sec," Jack spoke up. He reached under his jacket and withdrew a pistol. Dubiously he eyed Rose for a moment. "Do you know how to use one of these?" he asked.

Rose looked mildly offended and took the firearm from him. "I worked for Torchwood in the alternate dimension," she pointed out. "Of course I do."

"My mistake," he replied, grinning. He then turned to Jen. "What about you?"

"I'll go without, thanks," she replied.

Jack looked surprised. "Are you sure? What if we run into trouble?"

"Then I'll expect you and Rose to cover me. But I can take care of myself," she added. "Now let's go."

"Fine, fine," Jack replied, withdrawing a second weapon from his jacket. He placed himself ahead of the two women as they crept silently down the hallway, and therefore reached the door first. With a quick glance at the other two for confirmation, he grabbed the knob, flung it open and spun inside, weapon raised and ready to fire.

On the other side of the door, they found a rather round-looking man seated on a couch, laughing with four scantily-clad women that surrounded him. The five of them fell silent and looked startled by their sudden interruption, but only a moment before the gentleman's brow furrowed in fury.

"I thought I told those idiot employees that I wasn't taking visitors tonight!" he growled, sending the women scampering behind the couch.

"Mr. Rooney, I presume? We didn't exactly ask for permission to come and visit you," Jack replied, leveling the firearm at the man's head.

"We've come to retrieve something from you that we believe belongs with us," Jen added, stepping into the room. She met his gaze with a fearless one of her own, anger sparkling dangerously in her green eyes.

"What could I possibly have that would belong to the likes of you?" Rooney asked scornfully.

"A man, I believe," Jen replied, dryly.

Rooney laughed boisterously. "I assure you, young lady, my taste doesn't extend to men. Though, if you're interested…"

"A man," Rose retorted, raising her voice to overtake his. "And you know exactly who we're talking about." She raised her gun higher and stepped closer to him. "The Doctor. You know, last of the Time Lords. Your goons took him from the Tardis."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rooney retorted, darkly. "And if you don't lower that gun…"

"There's an important lesson that you need to learn, Mr. Rooney," Jen spoke up, her voice deadly calm. "Never, ever lie to a telepath. Now, be a good boy and tell us where he is."

He paused a moment, giving her statement serious consideration. "I've got five good reasons not to answer that, little missy," he replied, grinning.

Jen only lifted a brow curiously.

"Boys!" Rooney cried out. Jen, Jack, and Rose had failed to take note of two doors, one on either side of the room, that flanked Mr. Rooney. These doors abruptly flew open, and five well-dressed men toting automatic rifles burst through the door. They lined up behind Mr. Rooney, the muzzles of their weapons well trained on the trio before their boss.

Once again, Rooney laughed. "Now, these nice gentlemen give me five good reasons to have you escorted from the premises. Now, if you'll just hand over those guns…"

Jack and Rose cast each other a questioning glance, each asking the other what they thought should happen. Finally, they both came to the conclusion that they were out gunned and out numbered. Sighing, they reluctantly dropped their guns to the floor, slid them across the floor towards Rooney, and lifted their hands in the air.

Jen, instead, approached the men. Casually, she strolled up to the first one and leaned over to examine his weapon, her hands folded demurely behind her back the entire time. "My, that is an impressive piece of weaponry," she murmured, eyes caressing it almost lovingly. She then moved onto the next gentleman sporting a gun. "All of them are!" she exclaimed, her expression very appreciative of both the men and their weapons. Slowly, she made a stop at each man in turn, paying special attention to the gun in his hand. Finally, she swung back around in front of the couch and stood before Rooney.

"Your men are very well armed," she commented. "And those are truly beautiful pieces of weaponry." She paused and appeared to think their situation over for a moment. "I think I'd like to find out if their bark is as bad as their bite." Her eyes shifted upwards and she grinned teasingly at the armed men behind the couch. "Shoot me."


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's Note: Wooo, another update! Y'all are gonna get used to this and expect it all of the time. XD_

_Enjoy!

* * *

_

Chapter Thirteen

Stunned silence filled the room following Jen's request, as everyone turned to stare at her. "Excuse me, what?" Rose finally asked faintly.

"You heard me," Jen replied, her gaze fixated on Rooney's bodyguards. "Shoot me!"

Jack was the first to completely recover, and he stepped forward to take Jen by the arm and lead her away. "Excuse me just a moment," he said, flashing a grin at Rooney. When he had Jen back and away from the rest of them, he hissed sharply through clenched teeth. "Are you crazy?!"

"I'm perfectly sane," Jen hissed back, annoyance simmering in her eyes. "Now trust me and let them shoot me!"

"Look, I know you can regenerate and all, but from what I've heard that's not exactly a pleasant experience. Now are you just that suicidal?" Jack retorted.

Jen heaved a short, annoyed sigh, and looked over at Rooney. "Please, just tell the men to shoot me," she asked.

"Ignore her," Jack spoke up, and turned Jen back towards him. "What are you doing?"

Jen's eyes flashed again as she glared at him, annoyed at having to explain herself. What Jack received was a brief yet powerful telepathic image that had his eyes widening, and recognition dawning in them as he released his comrade.

"You know what?" he said to Rooney. "She's right. Shoot her. Better, yet, shoot me!"

"What do you mean shoot you?" Jen asked, incredulous. "I asked first."

Jack lifted a brow and shot her an invitational look, one that piqued Jen's curiosity. She delicately accepted the invitation and delved briefly into his mind, accepting the telepathic image that he offered. This time it was Jen's face that reflected recognition, and she then turned to their would-be captors. "Yes, he's right. Shoot him."

"You've both gone daft!" Rose suddenly cried, bewildered by her companions' behavior. "Really, I mean it. Off the deep end!" she added.

"No, really, Rose," Jen replied. "I think they should shoot him. He's done nothing but get in our way during this investigation, and if they'd just shoot him we could be rid of him."

Rooney and his men looked completely baffled. Hesitantly, they glanced back and forth at one another, completely unsure of how to even begin to respond to this situation.

"Shoot me!" Jack demanded. "Shoot me you sorry sonofabitch! You low-down, good for nothing—"

His string of insults and expletives was abruptly cut off by a series of large, sudden explosions that echoed through the room, sending Rooney's girls scrambling away in terror as fast as they could. When the smoke cleared, each one of his bodyguards was lying on the floor, their guns a mangled mess in what was left of their hands.

Startled, Rooney glanced behind him over the back of the couch. "How the—?" he asked, stunned by the sight that greeted him. Enraged, he turned back around to face the trio still left standing by the door. "What did you do?!"

Jack grinned over at Jen. "Nice idea," he said to her. "I can't say that I would have thought of it."

Rose, by this time, had stepped forward and retrieved her own gun. "What _did_ you do?" she asked, training the weapon on Rooney once more.

"I locked up their weapons," Jen replied, finally withdrawing her hands from behind her back and revealing her wrench. "As I approached each one, I locked up the weapon so that it would explode back on them when they fired it."

"And I had them fire on me in case that failed," Jack added, retrieving his own weapon. "If I'm shot, it's not major loss. I can't die."

By this time, Jack and Rose flanked Rooney, each with a gun pointed at his head. "Right," Jen said, planting a foot on the couch beside him and leaning close. "You're going to tell me what you've done with him, one way or another." She grinned devilishly. "And I promise that the 'or another' will be very, very unpleasant."

* * *

"Was the gag really necessary?" Jen asked as she, Jack, and Rose made their way through the underbelly of the Club 48.

"If we'd left him ungagged, he could have called for help and created a lot more trouble for us," Jack pointed out, reasonably. "Someone will find all of them eventually, and let them go. Hopefully by then, we'll be long gone."

"Let's just find him and go," Rose spoke up, peeking into the window of each cell door that they passed. "The faster we get out of here the better."

"Split up," Jack suggested. "We can cover more cells that way."

Wordlessly, the women agreed and set about peering into each window that they passed in the long corridor of cells. The whole place gave Rose the creeps. Dank, dark, and damp, it was certainly not comfortable accommodations. It infuriated her that the Doctor had been forced to stay here for the last few days.

"Found him!" Jack suddenly shouted. In a split second, both women had reached his side. Jen whipped out the sonic screwdriver that belonged to her father, which had been "liberated" from Rooney's office before they left. It took only a moment for the lock to click and the door to swing open.

"We gotta have a talk with Rooney about how he treats his houseguests," Jack muttered when they caught sight of the Doctor. He was unconscious and shirtless (a sight that Jack normally would have been appreciative of; under the circumstances, it only infuriated him), and firmly secured to the wall behind him. Jen and Rose pushed past him, each falling to their knees beside him.

"I'll have him loose in just a moment," Jen muttered, pulling out her wrench. She released the wrist closer to Rose, who immediately slipped herself up under his shoulder to catch him. When Jen released the opposite wrist, the Doctor pitched forward directly into Rose's waiting arms.

So many times she had dreamed of holding him again, but never had her fantasies included such a situation. Rose closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his forehead, holding him as close as she dared. He felt so familiar, and yet so unfamiliar at the same time. She bit her lower lip and fought back tears. Never, ever did she want to let go of him again.

"Rose," Jen said softly, an undercurrent of urgency in her voice. "It's only a matter of time before someone finds Rooney. We need to get him out of here."

"Yeah, right," Rose replied. "Of course." Reluctantly, she released him to Jack, who had removed his own jacket to wrap around the Doctor. The only one of them strong enough to lift the unconscious Time Lord, Jack scooped him up and looked at the ladies. "Ready?" he asked.

"Let's go before we have company," Jen replied.

* * *

They somehow managed to reach the Tardis without altercation. Jen was thankful they had taken the time to gag Rooney; he hadn't yet managed to raise alarms, much to everyone's relief. "Bring him through here," Jen instructed, pointing to a medical room off of the main console room. "Let me take a look at him."

Jack gently lay the Doctor down on the rather comfortable bed in the medical suite and stepped back to allow Jen room to work. Rose was instantly at his side, tenderly smoothing his tousled dark hair away from his feverish forehead.

Jen eyed her with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "While I appreciate your need to be as close to him as possible," she said to Rose, "do you know anything about Gallifreyan physiology?"

Rose sheepishly grinned up at her. "You've got two hearts?" she replied, helpfully.

Jen chuckled and jerked her head. "Out of the way," she instructed. Rose did stand, but hovered nervously nearby, chewing on her nails.

"Alright," Jen said, sitting down. She took a deep breath and then reached out towards him. First she rested a finger on either side of his neck. "Pulses good and strong," she murmured, "though he is running a bit of a fever." Her eyebrow quirked with concern as she ran a fingertip along his shoulder blade. "And a dislocated shoulder," she then muttered, annoyance in her voice. His ribs, she could see, were a mess of bruises. Gently, she pressed a palm against one side of his ribcage and was rewarded with a soft groan of pain from her patient. "Oh, very nice," she muttered.

"What's the verdict, Miss Doctor?" Jack asked from his position leaning against the doorframe.

"Cracked ribs, dislocated shoulder, and I'm fairly certain that he's been drugged," she replied, disgust evident in her voice. "We'll find that out in a moment," she added.

"How?" Rose asked.

"Because if he hasn't been drugged, he's going to be in a very large amount of pain when I reset that shoulder," she replied, dryly. She glanced over her shoulder. "Jack, I'll need some help with that."

It was a long, painful process with Jen positioning, Jack shoving, and Rose holding the Doctor against her, but they soon had the shoulder repositioned. "Well, now we at least know that he has been drugged," Jen said, wearily, as they settled him back down on the bed.

"How long do you think he'll be out?" Rose asked, sitting down next to Jen on the bed.

"I have no idea," Jen replied, softly. She reached out to smooth the hair back from the Doctor's forehead. "It depends on what they drugged him with." She stared at the sleeping face next to her. It wasn't a face that she recognized. She had seen it in Rose's memories, but not in person. Her father looked not much older than Jen herself, which was a strange sensation. "Do you have any idea how odd it is not to recognize your own father?" she suddenly asked, softly. "Inside, I know he's the same person. But I've never seen this face before in my life," she chuckled softly, and carefully wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

Rose slipped an arm around her and hugged her. "I saw my dad for the first time when I was nineteen," she said, softly. "In a way, I know how you feel." She reached a hand over and rested it on the Doctor's leg. "Will he be alright?" she asked.

"I think so," Jen replied. "He's had quite a bad time of it, and I imagine that he'll be sore for a few days. But, really, I won't know how bad off he really is until the drugs wear off."

Rose patted her shoulder. "I'm gonna go get a cup of tea," she said, softly. "You know, the English cure for everything," she added with a slight laugh. Squeezing Jen's shoulder, she rose and then slipped from the room.

As she exited the room, Jen went to work trying to find something to dull the pain that she knew the Doctor would be suffering when he came to. After a moment, she heard a small, muffled groan from her patient on the bed. Her head snapped around to look at him, just in time to see his large, dark eyes slide blearily open.

He stared blankly at her for a moment as if trying to place her face. Gradually, his gaze slid down and rested on a pendant around her neck. Jen smiled. It was a necklace that he, himself, had given her the day she had finished at the academy. A flat, silver oval with a circular pattern of blue sapphires. Carefully, the Doctor lifted a hand up and picked up the pendant, turning it over in his fingers. His brow lifted in surprise when he read the inscription on the back, one that he'd hardly dared to hope he'd find.

"_May time keep you safe always, my precious daughter."_

His still-cloudy gaze drifted back up to her smiling face. She could see that he was once again fading fast, but he still brought a hand up to rest on her cheek. "Are you real?" he managed to ask just before he slipped into unconsciousness once more.


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's Note: YAY! I've finally had some time to really write the last couple days. Hope y'all are enjoying it as much as I have.

* * *

_

Chapter Fourteen

Jen, Rose, and even Jack took turns sitting with the Doctor over the next twenty-four hours, keeping a quiet vigil as his body fought against fever and injury brought on by his ordeal with his captors. It was late the next day when Jen quietly slipped into the room, mug of tea in her hands, to keep Rose company.

"How is he?" she asked, settling down into a comfortable chair and tucking her knees up to her.

Rose was seated on the edge of the bed, bathing his face with a cool cloth. "He seems to be dreaming," she replied. "He keeps calling out different names. He's said my name a couple of times, and yours too. And then he called for a Moran and a Leani."

Jen's heart twisted and a soft smile tugged at her lips. "Moran was my brother and Leani my sister," she explained, softly. Setting her mug aside, she slipped from the chair and knelt next to the bed. Gently, she rested her fingertips on his temple and closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked, softly.

"Easing his dreams," Jen replied. "He'll probably fight me, but I'm the stronger telepath so he'll lose."

"Strange that you're stronger even though he's your father," Rose observed.

Jen looked genuinely surprised when her eyes flew open and she looked up at Rose. "I've got stronger Gallifreyan blood in my veins," she replied. She eyed Rose closely. "Or didn't you know that he's half human?"

Rose's eyes widened. "No, I didn't," she replied. "He never mentioned it."

Smiling, Jen nodded. "My grandmother was human, making him half-human, and me one-quarter human." She closed her eyes to resume probing gently into his mind. "It's the Time Lord in us that makes us telepathic. While he will fight me, I don't think he's in a state to put up much of a fight."

Rose watched, fascinated, as Jen went to work. The other woman's brow instantly furrowed when she made the connection, and Rose could see the Doctor tense and, as predicted, fight against the intrusion. Rose gently patted his face with the damp rag to soothe him, encouraging him to give into Jen's gentle probing. After several minutes, she could see him visibly begin to relax, and then fall into a deep sleep.

Jen's eyes slid open and she stood slowly. "There, now," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "He should sleep better now."

"What was he dreaming about?" Rose asked in a voice that was just as hushed.

Silence hung between them for several minutes. Jen's eyes never left her father's face. "Arcadia," she finally said, taking a small sip of tea. "I'm not sure that my presence has completely registered in his mind, but it's enough to bring back unpleasant memories."

"What happened at Arcadia?" Rose asked. "He'll never talk about it, not really." She paused and glanced over at him. "I've heard him called a killer, and even the killer of his own kind, but he's never told me exactly what happened."

Jen visibly winced at the words Rose spoke. "Whoever said that did not know what they were speaking about," she replied fiercely.

"Then what did happen?" Rose pressed.

It was several long, silent moments before Jen spoke again. "We had an opportunity to rid the galaxy of the Daleks, and we took it," she finally replied. "It wasn't a perfect plan or idea, but it was the best we had."

"The plan was his," she went on. "There were risks, but we all knew those risks. The most likely outcome would be that the Daleks would be eradicated – at the cost of the Doctor alone. But the plan backfired." A small, sad smile touched her lips. "Instead of everyone but him being spared, everyone but him was killed. Well, nearly everyone," she added. "Our entire planet and all of our people were killed, and by some miraculous twist of fate he and I were spared."

She finally tore her gaze away from her sleeping father and looked at Rose. "Imagine knowing that the plan that took your entire people was your plan, and somehow you survived," she pointed out. "That's an enormous amount of survivor's guilt, I'd imagine."

"He blames himself," Rose whispered, gently running the back of her hand along his cheek. She looked sharply up at Jen. "But you don't." It was more of an observation than a question.

"No," Jen replied instantly, shaking her head. "Millions of people were killed that day, but if we hadn't done what we had to do, then billions more would have been. Sometimes you have to sacrifice the good of the few to protect the good of the many. No one understands that better than a Time Lady."

"You should tell him that," Rose said. "He's never come out and said but… I think he'll need to hear that."

Jen studied her for a moment, and then nodded slowly. "I'll remember that," she replied, softly.

"Where's Jack?" Rose suddenly asked after a moment, only just noticing the Captains absence.

"He's 'investigating,'" Jen replied, grinning into her tea.

"Investigating?" Rose asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

"Actually, he is working and on something serious. I shouldn't make fun," Jen replied. "He wasn't satisfied just having rescued the Doctor. He wants to know why he was abducted in the first place."

"Pretty reasonable, I'd say," Rose said. "I've been kinda wondering that myself."

"Well, Jack is out poking around as only Jack can do," Jen said. "He said that he's not coming back until he has some reasonable answers." She paused and glanced at the clock. "Why don't you go get some rest?" she suggested. "I'll wake you if he comes to."

Rose hesitated for a moment, reluctant to leave his side. Finally she relented when she realized just how tired she really was. "Alright," she replied, reluctantly. "Just promise to wake me the minute he opens his eyes."

"I promise," Jen assured her. "Now get some sleep."

* * *

Hours later, Jen sat in the still, silence of the Tardis gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling. Her mind wandered carelessly from subject to subject in her own version of resting, while one ear was tuned acutely to the bed beside her, searching for the slightest noise. 

And it was a slight noise that first drew her attention. A small, muffled groan. She shifted her gaze toward the bed and found a pair of large, dark eyes gazing inquisitively back at her. She smiled, set her mug of tea on the floor next to her chair, and moved to the edge of the bed.

The Doctor continued to stare at her, his bleary mind struggling through the drug-induced cloud over it to make sense of his situation. Slowly, he pushed himself into a sitting position. Waves of pain that sliced through his shoulder and ribs instantly told him that he was not dreaming, and was, in fact, wide awake.

Which meant that the woman sitting next to him was not a delirious apparition.

Fighting off the pain, he sat very still for a moment, his eyes closed and his arm cradled against him. Finally, he caught his breath again and looked up at the green-eyed woman who was still patiently watching him from the edge of his bed. For the second time in two days, he reached over and lifted up the pendant around her neck. "Where did you get this?" he asked, his tone almost accusatory.

Jen continued to smile, though she had to swallow hard against the teary lump that was beginning to well up in her throat. She could remember very well the moment she had received that pendant. "My father gave it to me," she replied, softly. "The day I finished at the academy on Gallifrey." She bit her lower lip for a moment. "He was amazed that I finished with a triple fist, and remarked that I'd done much better than he had." She grinned. "I told him that's because I spent more time learning from my teachers than arguing with them."

Nothing she could have said would have stunned him more. He, too, remembered that moment in time as if it had happened only yesterday. "You're dead," he whispered in disbelief, unsure if he should let his heart trust what his eyes and ears were telling him.

A soft, teary chuckle escaped Jen's lips. "I hate to be the one to break this to you," she replied, a gentle teasing tone in her voice. "But you don't look so great yourself right now."

"Oh, my Jenaria," he whispered softly. In an instant, Jen crossed the space between them and flung her arms around his neck. While he had only one good arm to offer, the Doctor wasted no time in sliding that around his youngest child, pulling Jen as tight against him as his bruised ribs would allow. Tears of his own threatened to spill down his cheeks as he held her. "How?" he finally murmured into her shoulder.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "I'm truly not sure how I survived. But I did, and I'm here now, and that's all that matters." She pulled back, her cheeks wet with tears of pure and utter delight. "Oh, I've missed you."

"I hardly know what to say," the Doctor replied, grinning broadly but fighting for control. "I truly never thought I'd see you again."

Out of the corner of her eye, Jen could see a shadow hovering in the doorway. Her smile broadened. "Save some strength," she said, grinning. "I've brought you a present." She turned her attention toward the door, nodding encouragement to the individual hesitantly lurking in the shadows.

Curious, the Doctor turned to see what Jen was speaking of. The sight that greeted him sent all air rushing from his lungs, and he could swear that both hearts stopped. His mouth suddenly went dry and he struggled to catch his breath as he set his eyes on the most wonderful sight in the galaxy. A beautiful face that he never thought he'd see again. "Rose?" he whispered, afraid to even dare to hope.

* * *

_Author's Note: Yeah, I know I kinda skimmed over the details of the Time War. But there were a couple of reasons for it, actually. For starters, it would have been a very painful experience for Jen, too, and she wouldn't want to talk about it any more than the Doctor likes to. And, secondly, so little is really known about the details of the Time War, and I'm a little reluctant to completely trample all over canonicity and such. So, yeah, that's as much as I'm willing to dig into it. _


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Slowly, a smile blossomed over Rose's full lips. "Yeah," she replied hesitantly. "It's me."

For a moment, they were the only two people in the universe. As if in a dream, Rose hesitantly approached the bed, half afraid he would fade away as he had nearly two years ago on the shores of Bad Wolf Bay. Silently, Jen slipped off of the edge of the bed to give Rose some space and her own reunion with the Doctor, but neither one of them noticed her sudden absence. They would have had to take their eyes from one another long enough to notice.

As Rose lowered herself onto the edge of the bed, the Doctor found his voice again. "How?" he asked, stunned. "You were in another dimension. And stuck. I couldn't get to you. How--?" He cut himself off and shifted an accusatory glance at Jen. "You didn't go punching a hole in the universe did you?"

Arms crossed over her chest and leaning against the wall, Jen looked mildly offended by the very idea. "Of course not!" she replied. "I wouldn't be that daft. I just found a way 'round it," she added, grinning proudly.

"Around it?" he asked. His mind seemed to process that for a moment. "Oh, right," he replied. A slow grin spread over his lips. "That's brilliant. You'll have to tell me how." Abruptly he turned his attention back to Rose. "But your mum!" he cried. "What about your mum? And your dad? And Mickey? And your baby… baby…" he paused. Suddenly it occurred to him that he had no idea if Rose had a baby sister or baby brother.

"Sister," Rose filled in, laughing. "Lilly. She's beautiful."

"Rose and Lilly," the Doctor mused, turning that over in his mind. Chuckling, he shook his head. "Your mother…" he began, and then stopped. "You'll never see her again! Rose, how could you leave her behind? And your dad! You've only just gotten him back!" He paused and turned a dark scowl toward Jen. "And you!" he went on. "You of all people should know not to take someone away from their family like that!"

Jen's hands flew to her hips. "Well what was I supposed to do? She wanted to come, and made a very good case for me taking her along." She frowned at him. "Ingrate. She travels through time and space, risking life, limb, and Jack's corny come-ons to be with you, and all you can do is complain."

"But—" the Doctor started to protest, but Rose gently silenced him by placing a finger over his lips.

"I made my choice a long time ago, and that didn't change. Circumstances changed, but my choice didn't." she began. "I've been with Mum, Dad, Mickey, and Lilly for all this time… but I wasn't really with them. I was only half there, because I left an important part here. With you."

"But you'll probably never see them again," he murmured, hesitantly bringing a hand up to rest on her cheek. Rose smiled. She could see his resolve crumbling.

"And they'll know I'm happy," she replied, reaching up to smooth back his hair.

He groaned softly and rested his forehead against hers. "You're impossible, I hope you know that." A smile began to turn up the corners of his lips. "But I am glad to see you."

Her smile broadened. "And I'm glad to be seen," she replied with a laugh.

"And on that note," Jen interrupted, chuckling, "I think I hear Jack coming back in, so I think I'll go see what he's turned up."

The Doctor chuckled and looked up at her. "Aw, don't want a good reunion with your ol' dad?" he asked.

She paused in the doorway and smiled gently at him. "We've got time," she replied, winking. "Now snog the girl and get it over with," she added, and slipped through the doorway.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're impertinent?" he called after her, a blush creeping into his cheeks.

"Yes," she called back. "And it was usually followed up with 'You are soooo much like your father!'"

The Doctor couldn't help but laugh, but finally turned his gaze back to Rose. "I may not like that you're separated from your family," he said. "But I am glad to have you back." An odd light entered his eyes. "And… impertinent as she might be…" He hesitated, bringing both hands up to frame her face. "Jen does have some good ideas…"

Rose stopped him, resting her fingertips over his lips. "Wait," she said, suddenly. Her eyes locked onto his. "Finish saying it."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Finish what?" he asked, his speech slightly muffled behind her fingers.

She lowered her fingers and looked him intently in the eye. "What you started to say before we were cut off on Bad Wolf Bay," she replied, firmly.

The Doctor closed his eyes and groaned. "Oh, Rose…" he started.

"Come on," she coaxed. "It wasn't your last chance to say it," she pointed out. "You have another. And I want to hear it," she added, pleadingly.

Moaning under the stiffness of his ribs and shoulder, the Doctor pushed himself to his feet. Being upright made him a little lightheaded, so he paused for a moment to allow the world to slow its rapid spinning. When all was right again, he turned to look at Rose. "But you know what I was going to say," he replied, reasonably.

"After all this, you still can't say it," she replied, a smile tugging at her lips.

"But you know!" he replied. "Didn't I face the Daleks to save your life? Do you remember our first date? When I held your hand at the end of the world? And how about the time that I rescued you from Satan himself, the Tardis and me pulling you out of that black hole? Huh? And have you forgotten how I absorbed the time vortex out of your body, nearly killing myself in the process? I even put up with your mother, and that's saying quite a bit."

"Rose," he went on, taking her by the hand. "Haven't I shown you in ten thousand different ways how I feel?"

"You still can't say it…" she observed, chuckling softly and touching his cheek. "You can face down the Daleks and Satan himself, but you can't say this. Why is this so hard for you to say?"

"Because everyone I have ever said it to before – everyone – is gone now," he replied, softly. "And it's much easier to face down a million Daleks and Satan himself than to face losing someone else that—" he broke off.

"Jen almost didn't bring me for that very reason," Rose replied, softly. "She was afraid that… one day when I…"

"Jen's got a very large heart and a good head on her shoulders," he replied. "And I can understand her hesitation."

Rose remained silent for several moments. Finally, she reached up and once again pushed the hair back off of his forehead. "Just because you don't say it doesn't make it any less true," she said, softly. "You just said that you've shown me in hundreds of different ways, so I know that it's true just as much as you do, deep down." She smiled, softly. "And I can go on forever knowing that it's true. But once – just once – I want to hear it. So that I know I didn't come all this way for nothing."

Silence hung between them for several heartbeats. The Doctor, by this time, had leaned against the wall behind him for support, Rose only a breath away from him. She was asking the most difficult thing in the world of him, and at the same time the simplest thing in the world. Finally, he ran his tongue over his lips, cupped her face in his hands, and looked intently into her eyes. "Rose Tyler," he said, his voice as rough and emotional as it had been on Bad Wolf Bay. "I love you."

Her face lit up as bright as if she'd experienced ten Christmases. Without hesitation, she leaned forward and captured his lips with hers. The Doctor was momentarily startled by the sudden nature of it, but finally sighed with pleasure and gave into the kiss, allowing his fingers to slide back and tangle in the sunny, blonde hair that he'd missed so much.

She'd kissed him before – in a manner of speaking. The first time he'd kissed her to save her life when he'd absorbed the time vortex from her. The second time had been when Cassandra had gained control of her body. But this was different. This was real. This was her, and him, and nothing between them but the beating of their hearts – all three of them – against one another.

When they finally pulled apart, the Doctor smiled tenderly into her eyes. "Welcome home, Rose Tyler," he murmured.

Outside the room, Jen and Jack leaned against the wall next to the door, both intently listening to the goings on inside. "Think they'll be alright?" Jack whispered, grinning at Jen.

She chuckled under her breath. "Oh, yeah, they'll be fine," she whispered back. "They just need a good kick in the right direction every once in a while, I expect."

"Good thing they have us around to kick 'em then," Jack replied, grinning. He took a quick peek into the room and grinned. "I think they're doing alright for now," he said, chuckling.

"Then let's give them some real privacy," Jen suggested. She looped her hand through his arm. "Come on, Captain Harkness," she said, airily. "Let's have a cup of tea, and you can share with me what you've found."


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's Note: I'm sooooo sorry for the delay in doing updates. I unexpectedly changed jobs nearly two weeks ago, and that threw my entire schedule off. The bad part was that the new job wanted me to start immediately so desperately that they were willing to work around my schedule at the old job until I was able to give notice to my boss. So, for a week I was working two jobs. It was pure insanity here last week, but things are calming down now and I'll have more of a regular schedule from here on out.

* * *

_

Chapter Sixteen

"So what did you find out?"

Jen leaned casually against the console of the Tardis, her legs lazily crossed one over the other, and her arms folded over her chest. Jack stood opposite her, his arms folded on the railing, leaning comfortably against it. Rose had taken a seat on the small sofa, the Doctor seated beside her. Every once in a while he would shift uncomfortably, and Rose could see a slight glimmer of pain in his eyes. Sympathy coursed through her, and she gently reached over to smooth her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck soothingly.

The Doctor had managed a shower and cleaned up, but his ribs and shoulder still ached miserably. Still, he hadn't been up to dressing completely, and so had slipped into a comfortable pair of pajamas, a warm dressing gown belted around him.

"Things have gotten kind of… weird," Jack responded to Jen's question. "First of all, it's very difficult to find anyone in this city that's willing to talk about Rooney and his cronies. I had to do quite a bit of poking and prodding to find out anything."

"Just exactly what kind of poking and prodding?" Rose asked, a teasing brow lifting in his direction.

He shot her a silencing glare and continued. "What I found out was kind of surprising." He paused and glanced around. "Rooney is dead."

Jen's eyebrows disappeared behind her thick bangs. "Dead?" she asked, disbelief in her voice. "How?"

"From what I've been able to find out, Rooney wasn't the one behind all of this," Jack replied. "He was only the middle man. Apparently he failed to deliver as promised, and so he had to, ah, pay the price."

The Doctor looked puzzled. "He was supposed to deliver me? To who? And why?"

"That's the thing," Jack responded, thoughtfully. "You have never specifically been mentioned. All I keep hearing is something about an unlimited power source."

"So why take him, then?" Jen mused. "If he was looking for a power source then the Tardis would make more sense." She shrugged, confusion on her face. "But even the Tardis doesn't have unlimited energy."

"Do we have any idea who Rooney was supposed to deliver this power source to?" Rose asked.

Jack shook his head. "Not a clue. Only the goons closest to Rooney seem to know that, and I haven't been able to get in close enough to them to ask."

"Well then…" Jen replied, a slow grin spreading over her lips. "I suppose we know, then, what our next course of action should be."

"You're willing to help me try and infiltrate that group?" Jack replied, unable to resist returning her grin.

The Doctor's eyes flew up to Jen's. "You're not serious!" he exclaimed.

She shot him a slightly annoyed glance. "Of course I am," she replied, as if her answer should be obvious. "They know who you are, so you can't do it." A small, mischievous smile touched her lips. "And I don't suppose that Rose will be too willing to stray too far from you quite yet."

Slowly, the Doctor took a deep breath and blew it past his lips. "I don't like the idea of you putting yourself into something so dangerous," he replied, and then nodded in Jack's direction. "And I definitely don't like the idea of you doing so with him."

"Hey!" Jack retorted. "I won't get her killed."

"That wasn't what I was worried about," the Doctor snorted, and shot Jack a pointed glare.

Jack considered it and looked Jen over. "She looks like a consenting adult to me," he observed, smirking.

Rose could have sworn that the Doctor would have killed Jack on the spot if she hadn't rested a well-placed restraining hand on his bad shoulder.

The Doctor cried out in pain and turned to glare at Rose. "At least let me punch him," he said to her, indignant that his fatherly duties had been interrupted.

Through the entire exchange, Jen studied her father with frank curiosity. "Since when are you the protective father?" she asked quietly, concern mixed with the curiosity in her eyes.

The question seemed to startle the Doctor, and he shifted his gaze up at her once again. When _had_ he become so protective of her? While no one had ever been able to question that he truly loved each of his children, he had never been an overly protective parent, particularly when his children reached adulthood. He had always maintained that by that time they should be able to make their own decisions, and supported them whatever they decided. It wasn't like him to protest a decision that any of them made.

Of course, they had been separated for decades. Until hours before, he had thought that his youngest child had perished at the Fall of Arcadia with the rest of their family. And if she went on this particular quest with Jack, there was a very real possibility that she wouldn't come out of it alive.

The thought terrified him.

"I suppose since I just got you back," he replied, softly. "And I don't want to lose you again."

Understanding dawned in Jen's eyes. "You won't," she assured him, smiling. "The worst that could happen is that they'll shoot me and I'll regenerate," she pointed out with a wink.

"And I can't die," Jack added, "so we're the most likely candidate." He flashed Jen a dashing grin. "So, you up for doing a little snooping and schmoozing with me in the morning?"

Jen chuckled and smiled back at him. "I wouldn't miss it."

* * *

It felt strange after all this time to be heading into her own cozy bedroom on the Tardis. Strange, yet comfortingly familiar. For several moments, Rose could only stand in the doorway and stare into the room. It was exactly as she'd left it, clothes strewn about the dresser and all. She smiled, leaning against the doorway. Had he missed her so much that he hadn't been able to bring himself to clean up the room?

"Ah, Rose?" the Doctor's voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned and found him hesitating in his own doorway, a look of uncertainty on his face. "I was just going to tell you that… Well… that is… If you'd rather sleep in here… You… can."

She nearly laughed out loud at the heated flush in his cheeks. "Do you want me to?" she asked.

He glanced briefly to the side, the redness climbing higher in his cheeks. "Well… yeah," he replied. "But if you don't want to, I'd understand…"

"Oh, no I want to," she replied quickly, and then blushed herself when she realized how that sounded. Anxiously, she fiddled with the thumbnail on her left hand. "But I wasn't sure if you'd want me to…"

"Oh, I do!" he replied, just as quickly as she had. His face was completely aflame when a sudden thought occurred to him. He silently swallowed, and then looked at her with wide eyes. "Wait, you know that I didn't mean…" he began, quickly. "I couldn't! I mean, the ribs and all…" He trailed off, appearing more uncomfortable than Rose had ever seen him.

Chuckling, she slipped her arms gently around his waist. "Is that the only reason why?" Rose asked, a touch of coyness in her tone.

He couldn't remember blushing this hard since he was a schoolboy. Still, he grinned at her, his expression filled with a mixture of shyness, curiosity, and a touch of desire. "Well… ahhh…" he hedged. He cleared his throat. "I don't think I'd mind… the other," he admitted, shyly. "I just… Um…" He paused and sighed. "I'll just say that it's been a very long time since… the other," he admitted.

She chuckled and leaned up to brush her lips over his. "For tonight, just sleep. The other will come… when it's time."

Grinning foolishly, he took her by the hand and led her into his room to settle down for the night. For once, the Doctor felt like he had all the time in the universe with his Rose.


	17. Chapter 17

_Author's Note: This one took several days to write. I just couldn't get the conversation between Jack and Jen just right. But when I did finally get a good feel for it, I really felt like it came off well.

* * *

_

Chapter Seventeen

"What are you still doing awake?"

Jack looked up from the book he was reading and watched Jen enter the console room. She took a seat next to him on the sofa, her legs tucked up to her and her chin resting on her knees. He closed the book and set it aside, and then turned to smile at her. "I don't sleep much," he replied. "Sometimes not at all."

"Sure you're not a Time Lord?" Jen asked, lifting a brow. "We generally sleep only one or two hours in a night."

He glanced briefly down the hallway towards the sleeping quarters of the Tardis. "I guess tonight is the exception for some Time Lords," he observed, dryly.

Jen smiled. "He isn't exactly in the greatest of shape right now," she pointed out. "Time Lord or no, everyone needs their rest when they're recovering from illness or injury."

As he listened, Jack turned around and reached down to pick up something off of the floor next to his couch. When he came back up, he had in one hand a rich bottle of scotch, and in the other two glasses. He tipped the bottle at Jen invitingly, and then filled both glasses halfway when she nodded her acceptance.

"To a fine rescue," was his toast when they each had their drink. Amused, Jen clinked her glass against his and took a long sip.

The two fell into several long moments of companionable silence. Finally, Jack broke the moment and spoke. "I've been wondering something, and I hope you'll indulge me and answer a question."

Jen lifted a brow and gazed at him over the rim of her glass. "Go ahead," she replied.

"I look at your dad, and I can't help but wonder… what was your mother like?"

A smile touched her lips and she took a thoughtful sip of whiskey. "You know how my father is so…" she hesitated, grappling for the right word. "Expressive," was the word she finally settled on. "He radiates with energy, and you never have to doubt or wonder what he's thinking or feeling." Jack nodded, waving his hand to encourage her to go on. A soft chuckle escaped her lips. "My mother was completely and totally the opposite," she continued. "She was quiet, calm, and collected. Almost a soothing, calming presence. She kept her emotions to herself. She was very difficult to get close to, to some degree."

"Not exactly the kind of woman I'd picture your father married to," Jack replied, thoughtfully. "Did they have a good relationship?"

Jen looked at him oddly. "They were fond enough of one another, I suppose." She shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"I've known your dad for a while," Jack began, settling back against the couch. "And it's difficult to imagine him as the domestic family man."

"He wasn't," Jen said, chuckling. "Not in the least. He was hardly home, and we would go for months and even years at a time without seeing him."

"You say that you had an absentee father with absolutely no anger or resentment," Jack observed, looking her over.

"I grew up in a completely different society," she pointed out. "We're Time Lords; traveling is what we do. I can't say that I saw my mother any more often than my father." His wide-eyed expression made her laugh. "Jack that was normal. I can't say that I lived my childhood too much differently than any other Gallifreyan child."

"That seems so… foreign," Jack observed.

Jen shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "And life on Earth would seem foreign and quaint to most Time Lords."

"I've heard the Time Lords mentioned by other species and races through the galaxy," Jack said, reaching over to refill her glass. "And a lot of times it wasn't a very… favorable light that they were painted in."

"That doesn't surprise me," Jen replied. "Time Lords, in general, were a very stuffy, boring, close-minded, and judgmental lot."

A moment of silence fell between them. "Where, then, does your father come from exactly?"

She couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh. "You're not the first person to ask that," she finally managed. "Even to the rest of the Time Lords – particularly the council – he was unconventional. His relationship with them was… a rollercoaster."

Now it was Jack's turn to laugh. "The Doctor? A rollercoaster? Naaaahhhh…" he scoffed.

Amused, Jen toasted him with her glass. "I see you do truly know him, then," she remarked, smirking.

"So what other major differences are there between Earth and Gallifrey?" Jack asked, taking a sip of his own drink.

Jen swirled the liquid around in her glass and gazed down into it thoughtfully. "Sex," she finally said, looking up at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. For Time Lords, it's more about procreation than recreation."

Jack promptly choked on his drink. "You've got to be kidding me," he finally replied, staring at her wide-eyed.

Amused, she lifted a brow and downed the last of the contents of her glass. "Nope," she replied. "I told you that they were a stuffy lot." She nodded briefly at the hallway, indicating the bedrooms down the corridor. "That," she went on, "is odd to me. I've never, ever seen him this… amorous."

"Does it bother you?" he asked as he poured himself a refill.

She stared at the darkened hallway with considering gaze. "I don't know if 'bother' is the right word," she finally said. "It is different, though." She shifted her glance back to Jack. "You have to understand that Time Lords had strict rules and laws about not having… relations with other species and races," she explained. "So I suppose my upbringing is rearing its head. But, then," she added, with a sigh, "it's not exactly like we have other Time Lords as an option anymore. I suppose that, given the circumstances, the rules have to change." She shrugged. "I guess I've never really thought about it until now. Never really been forced to."

"But surely you've…" Jack trailed off, watching her face.

She snorted softly. "Nope," she replied.

He blinked, surprised. "Not ever?" he asked.

"Never," she replied with a rueful smile.

Jack fell into stunned silence for several moments. "You're two hundred and fifty years old," he finally said, "and you've never, ever…."

"No," she replied, firmly. "You act like it's an intergalactic crime."

"It is!" Jack insisted. "It's a travesty of unparalleled proportions!" He sat his glass down on the floor firmly and turned to her. "Honey, we have gotta do something about this."

"Oh, we do?" Jen laughed.

"Absolutely," he replied. "If you're going to be a proper Time Lady then you need to know everything there is to know about the universe. And you can't know everything about the universe until you've experienced everything."

"So you're saying that this should be an experiment purely for the sake of science," she replied, raising a brow.

"Yes," he nodded. "And – since it's in the name of science –" He paused dramatically. "I'd be willing to sacrifice myself for the cause."

"Would you really?" Jen replied around a chuckle. "You would be my guinea pig?"

"Anything in the name of science," he replied, tossing back his drink.

"I'll tell you what," she began. "I'll go along with this little experiment of yours under one condition."

He was slightly surprised that she agreed to it so easily, but still was cautious about her terms. "And what's that condition?"

She smiled sweetly. "You have to convince my father that it's a good idea."

Now it was Jack's turn to laugh. "Do you really think that I won't ask him?" he asked.

"Oh, I have no doubts that you will," she retorted. A slow, mischievous grin spread over her lips. "The question will then be, how long will he let you live?"

* * *

At first Rose thought she had dreamed the cry. So deep was she caught up in her sleep that it became incorporated into the images that played in her head. The third time that it sounded in the dark, silent room, however, she startled awake and sat up in the bed.

The Doctor was still sleeping next to her, the dim light in the room dancing across his face and bare, bruised chest. He was not, however, resting peacefully. Rose could not see the visions that assailed him, but he thrashed around fretfully, his brow furrowed and drenched in sweat.

"Doctor," Rose murmured sleepily, gently rubbing his arm to wake him. When he didn't respond she turned over toward him and spoke a little louder. "Doctor!"

He jolted awake, sitting halfway up in the bed as his dark eyes flew open. The sudden motion, however, sent white-hot shockwaves of pain exploding through his ribcage and he fell back against the bed and rolled over to curl up on his side, groaning as he did so.

"Easy, easy," she soothed, reaching over to smooth the hair off of his brow while he caught his breath. When some of the tension slid out of his body, she stretched out next to him once more, though she continued to run her fingers through his hair soothingly. "What were you dreaming about?"

His eyes were closed as he fought for control against the pain that still echoed through his body. A fight against the physical pain, and the emotional pain that was brought on by the images that he had experienced in his dreams. Briefly, he debated whether or not to tell Rose what he had experienced. Finally, he relented, though is eyes remained closed. "Gallifrey," he replied softly, through clenched teeth. "And Arcadia."

Her expression visibly softened. "Jen thought her presence might bring up unpleasant memories for you," she replied.

His eyes slid open and he gazed at her for a moment. "I don't want her to feel that way," he replied.

"Is she wrong?"

Briefly, he hesitated and desperately wanted to say that yes, Jen was absolutely wrong. Finally he sighed and closed his eyes. "No," he admitted. "She's not wrong."

"You should talk to her about it," Rose said, sympathy in her voice. "It might put your mind at ease."

"I—" he hesitated. "As awful as it is to admit, I've been avoiding a moment alone with her because, I'll admit, I'm a little afraid to talk to her about it."

Rose was silent for several moments. "She told me a little of what happened," she finally said. "At Arcadia."

His expression hardened. "She shouldn't have done that," he said.

"She doesn't hate you, you know," she cut him off, gently. "She did say that she, of all people, would have every reason to, but she doesn't."

Again he sighed and looked at her. "I have no idea why not," he said softly. He looked almost more vulnerable than Rose had ever seen him, and she felt a sharp, sympathetic pang slice through her heart.

"Come here," she murmured, pulling him into her arms. With a soft, contended exhale, he slid into her embrace and rested his cheek against her shoulder. Rose kissed his forehead and murmured into his hair. "Talk to her," she said. "She needs it as much as you do, though she'll never admit it."


	18. Chapter 18

_Author's Note: FINALLY the long-awaited next chapter of my story. I had a LOT of trouble writing this one, but I think I'm finally working my way through my writers block. Yay!_

_Oh, and the scene at the end in the kitchen was added solely for my husband, who begged me repeatedly to put it in. _

_Chapter Eighteen_

"Explain to me how, exactly, it is that you manage that," Jen said dryly as she and Jack both pushed their way out of a seedy little tavern at dawn.

"Manage what?" Jack asked, glancing back at his redheaded companion with a quizzical expression.

"It doesn't matter who they are – male, female, or in-between – you always get exactly what you want out of them."

He paused and flashed her a brief, dashing grin. "It's a good thing that all I want right now is information, then."

Jen laughed, shook her head, and dragged her hand through her hair. "We should probably get back to the Tardis," she said, glancing at her wrist. "Rose and my father should be getting up about now, and I'm sure they'll want to know what we've managed to find out."

"Yeah, about that," Jack said thoughtfully as he slipped his hands into his coat pockets. "Does any of what we've found out make sense to you?"

Jen paused, squinted briefly, and considered the question. "Not a bit," she finally replied. "It's like we're being given pieces of a puzzle, but no picture to look at as a guide."

"Not having a guide doesn't make it impossible," Jack pointed out as they arrived at the Tardis. He pushed open the door and held it for her. "Just makes it more challenging."

"I think we could do with a little less challenge and a little more guide in this case," she replied as she passed by him and into the Tardis.

"And where have you two been all night?" a teasing voice greeted them as the entered the ship. Rose stood in the console room, a mug of tea between her hands and a twinkling smile on her lips.

Jack returned the grin and slid an arm around Jen's shoulders. "Well we couldn't let you have all the fun last night," he replied, cheekily.

Jen merely rolled her eyes and slipped out from under his arm. "Only in your wildest dreams, Jack," she replied.

He chuckled and tapped the end of her nose. "Hey, remember, I'm supposed to be your guinea pig, just as soon as I get your dad to agree."

"Anyway," Jen chuckled, turning to Rose and changing the subject. "We've been out in the city, and Jack has been working his charms on the more unsavory side of Rasarnia to get some information."

"Did you get anything useful?" Rose asked, leaning forward on her elbows and taking a sip of her tea.

"Well I did get the numbers for a really cute set of twins – oof!" Jack began, only to be interrupted by Jen's elbow connecting with his stomach.

"I think she meant information that would be useful to all of us," Jen retorted, witheringly. With a slight chuckle and shake of her head, she turned back to Rose. "We did find a bit of information, but it doesn't make much sense." She paused and stepped over to lean against the rail that surrounded the console. "It wasn't an individual that Rooney was reporting to – at least, not that we know of. According to one of his henchman," she continued, a note of sarcasm in her voice when she reached the last word, "it was an off-world corporation that was interested in this power source."

"The Dannar Corporation," Jack spoke up, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the railing next to Jen. "Interestingly, from what we've been able to find out, they don't specialize in energy harnessing." A puzzled expression fell over his features. "They're experts in genetics and genetic manipulation."

"Genetics?" Rose asked, suddenly very alert. "Seriously?"

Jen shrugged one shoulder. "Time Lord DNA would be very valuable," she pointed out. "We have two hearts, can withstand several forms of radiation, and let's not forget the fact that we regenerate instead of dying."

"But what does genetic replication and manipulation have to do with producing an unlimited energy source?" Jack wondered aloud.

They all fell silent for several moments. "Well," Rose finally spoke up, slowly. A hint of a grin began to pull at the corners of her lips. "I suppose that we'll just have to ask the powers that be at the Dannar Corporation ourselves, won't we?"

* * *

The Doctor had slept through their entire conversation. Knowing perfectly well that he would not stand for being left out of the adventure ahead, the trio had elected to let him rest and recover as long as possible before heading toward Dannar's headquarters.

Quietly, Jen slipped into his room late that morning. She'd had a chance to shower and dress, and then excused herself to check on him while Rose and Jack investigated the kitchen in an attempt to locate some breakfast.

The Doctor stirred when she entered the room, opening one dark eye to look up at her. "What time is it?" he asked, blearily.

Jen chuckled. "I thought Time Lords were supposed to know precisely when and where in time they are at any given moment," she replied, seating herself on the edge of his bed.

"Ah, well…" he scoffed, shifting around in his bed and wincing slightly. "I've never been that great at that bit."

"I came to have a look at your shoulder," she informed him, chuckling.

Experimentally, he rolled the joint around. "It's a shoulder," he grunted. Jen reached over to run a fingertip along the bruising, feeling gently along the joint for more permanent damage. "Stop that!" he said, slapping her hand away.

"I thought Time Lords had more constitution, too," she added. "Are you sure you're a Time Lord?"

Grunting, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. "If I'm not, then you're the milkman's child," he replied, amused. He glanced briefly around the room. "Where did Rose run off to?" he asked.

"She and Jack are attempting to make us some breakfast," she replied, tucking her knees up to her chin.

He lifted one eyebrow. "Rose and Jack are cooking," he repeated doubtfully, and glanced back at his pillow. "Maybe I should sleep through breakfast."

Jen chuckled softly in reply, and then an uncomfortable silence fell between them. The Doctor's gaze fell onto the blanket draped over him, and he finally spoke, softly. "How did you get away?" he asked, suddenly.

Jen took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. She'd known this conversation was coming. "I'm not sure, to be honest," she replied, just as quietly. She rested her chin on her knees and folded her arms under her thighs, hugging her legs close. "I woke up a few days…after," she continued. "I had been knocked through time and space into a completely different timeline." Her eyes rose to meet his. "I couldn't feel anyone, not even you. I tried… for days I tried, but nothing."

"I know," he said, reaching out a hand to rest on her cheek. "I know that feeling very well."

She nodded slowly, finding small comfort in knowing that she wasn't alone. "Because I thought I was alone, I decided to settle down on a small, nondescript planet and live as normal of a life as I can. And so, that's what I did, and I've been there ever since. I found a little village on a planet in a far-off system, and I blended in as best I could."

"How did you hide regeneration?" he asked. He reached up and touched a lock of her hair. "And, by the way," he added, a twinkle in his eye. "Very jealous that you get to be ginger this time. I've always wanted to be ginger!"

She laughed. "It was pretty easy," she said. "I just 'died,' and one of my relatives moved into my house in my place." A slight, devious smile tugged on the corner of her lips. "Jenaria, Jennifer, Genivere… Always a Jen living in the house."

He, too, smiled. "Very clever," he replied, nodding.

The smile was still on her lips when she reached one hand out and took his. Slowly the grin faded and she looked earnestly into his eyes. "There's something that I need to say to you," she began.

A wary, guarded expression fell over his handsome features. "Okay…" he replied, cautiously.

Jen took a deep breath. "I don't blame you for what happened," she stated. The Doctor sighed and tried to turn away. "No, don't pull away. Don't you dare pull away." He turned back to look at her, although reluctantly. "I don't blame you," she repeated, "and I know that they wouldn't either. You did what was necessary." She paused and leaned forward for emphasis. "As I said to Rose just two days ago, because of what happened millions of people died, and my hearts – both of them – break for every last one of them every day. But if you hadn't done what you did," she continued, squeezing his hand, "then billions more would have. You did what you had to do, and no one blames you for it. No one, that is, but you."

Restlessly, he shoved himself off of the bed and snatched his dressing gown off of a nearby chair. "Damn right I blame myself," he muttered to himself. He whirled back around to face her as he forcefully tied the belt of the gown. "Wasn't I the one that pulled the trigger, so to speak?"

Jen, too leaped to her feet and glared up at him. "And wasn't it you who told me, when I was merely a Time-Tot in nappies, that doing what's right isn't always doing what's easy?" she shot back, chin lifted defiantly. "You did what was right," she continued, her voice dropping. "Not what was easy."

She could see the conflict of emotions in his eyes, the tightening of his jaw. "My head knows that," he replied with a sigh.

A sympathetic smile touched her lips. "It's hard to convince the hearts, though," she finished up. Jen crossed the space between them and slipped her arms affectionately around his waist in a daughterly squeeze. The Doctor sighed and held her tight, a pleasure he hadn't had in many, many years. "I missed you," she admitted, resting her chin on his good shoulder.

"I missed you too," he replied, softly. He couldn't hide the emotion in his voice.

"Oh, and Rose," Jen continued, pulling away and grinning mischievously up at him. "I like her."

The flush in his cheeks amused her. "Yes, well…" he flustered, glancing at the door and running his hand through his hair. "I do too," he admitted, grinning down at his offspring.

"Really?" Jen asked, innocently. "I wouldn't have guessed…"

Embarrassed, he looked down and chuckled. "And speaking of, she and Jack should probably be just about finished with…" He stopped and looked up, puzzled. "What's that noise?"

Jen looked up and around, a similar expression on her own face. In the background, she could hear what sounded distinctly like guitars. "It sounds like… music?"

The two of them gazed at one another, confused, for a long moment before they simultaneously turned and strolled out of the room to seek out the source of the clamor.

They followed the music until they did indeed find where it was coming from – the kitchen. The two Time Lords paused in the doorway of the room, each leaning against one side of the doorway and watched the activities that swirled around the small room.

Rose and Jack were indeed cooking breakfast, and enjoying themselves immensely as they did so. Loud rock music blared over the Tardis' loudspeakers overhead, as they danced their way through meal preparations. Jen lifted an eyebrow in amusement and shared a glance with her father. She recognized the song they were enjoying to be a popular tune from Earth's 80's era of rock music.

When the song reached its chorus, both Jack and Rose abruptly jumped and spun around to face one another. Jack thrust a stirring spoon up to his mouth while Rose belted the chorus into a large pancake turner. "Doctor, Doctor! Give me the news, I've got a bad case of loving you!" they both belted into their utensils, loudly and very off-key.

"Well," The Doctor spoke up from the doorway. Rose and Jack both jumped, and shifted their attention to him. Both of them had the look of a child that had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Catchy beat and entertaining song," he commented, grinning broadly. "And it's nice to know that I'm so well loved and appreciated," he couldn't help but add with a teasing grin.


	19. Chapter 19

_Author's Note: Yes, I know, I'm slow. It's just been a hectic few months. I promise that I'm getting back into the swing of things. The season finale of season 3 really inspired me! Hopefully I can wrap this up in a chapter or two, and then I do have a sequel planned._

_Chapter Nineteen_

"So what do we know?" The Doctor quizzed as he began to restlessly pace the Tardis' control room.

Rose was leaned back in the comfortable pilot seats next to the main console. Jack, arms folded over his broad chest, leaned casually against the railing, and Jen, knees tucked up to her chest, was seated on the floor next to Rose's seat. All three of them looked expectantly up at the Doctor and his hyperkinetic movements across the main deck.

"We know that Rooney was working for an off-world company known as the Dannar Corporation, a company that specializes in DNA research and replication," Jen began.

"And that Rooney was supposed to deliver a method of manufacturing an unlimited supply of energy," Rose continued.

"And because he failed to deliver," Jack finished up, "he was killed for it."

"Which does tell us that whoever we're up against at Dannar, they're not going to be a terribly friendly lot," Jen observed, leaning her head back to rest against the seat of Rose's chair.

"But none of that explains why they would want me if they're building an unlimited energy source," said The Doctor as he ran his hands through his thick, dark hair in an agitated fashion.

"Well, maybe—" Jen began.

Rose tuned out her surroundings, allowing her head to fall back against the seat and her eyes to close. Snatches of the conversation round her filtered through her mind as her thoughts began to wander in an attempt to piece all of the information that they'd gathered together.

"…doesn't make any sense…"

Energy. What did she know about energy? She shrugged off the few vague science lessons that she could hazily remember from her school days and focused on what she remembered from her days traveling with The Doctor.

"…Oh, come on, Jack…"

And suddenly, a memory assaulted her. A memory so sharp, so fresh, that she could smell the brisk, cold December air. Rose's hazel eyes snapped open and focused on The Doctor's profile. "Pilot Fish!" she cried, suddenly.

The room came to a sudden halt, and everyone turned to stare at her as if she'd lost her mind. "Pilot fish?" Jen asked, lifting a brow.

Rose jumped to her feet and peered earnestly up into The Doctor's eyes. "Do you remember our first Christmas?" she asked.

He half-smiled. "It was our only Christmas," he pointed out. "And it wasn't exactly the most joyous of holidays, what with the Cycorax invasion…"

She nodded, a small grin tugging at her lips. "And what else was significant about that holiday?"

He looked momentarily confused. "I had just regenerated…" he began.

"Exactly!" Rose shouted, pointing at him. "Do you remember what you said to Mickey, Mum, and me out on the balcony, right after you chased off the Santas with your screwdriver?"

Jen and Jack were now standing together against the railing, looking back and forth between the two as if they were watching a tennis match. "Did you ever have the feeling that you've missed something important?" Jack asked.

"Completely," Jen agreed, nodding slightly.

The Doctor was silent, staring at Rose in throughtful contemplation. So much of that day was a misty blur for him, his mind clouded by the regeneration process. Slowly, though, he fought through the haze and began to remember the conversation that Rose was speaking about…

_He remembered the pain. Sharp, searing pain that had shot violently through every square inch of his body. And, crying out, he had fallen back against the wall of the apartment building, only to have Rose, Jackie, and Mickey all rush to his side. _

"_What happened? What's wrong?" Rose asked, concern in her voice._

_He grunted in pain, and forced his gaze to meet hers. "You woke me up too soon," he replied through clenched teeth. "I'm still regenerating. I'm bursting with energy." He opened his mouth, and a soft, golden mist had rushed out as he exhaled. "You see?" he continued through labored breath. "The pilot fish could smell it a million miles away. So they eliminate the defense – that's you lot – and then carry me off. They can run their batteries off of me for a couple of yeAAAHH!" Again a pang of pain had overtaken him, sending him across the balcony against the other railing. _

"Ohhh…" The Doctor began, slowly. His eyes suddenly widened. "Oh! OOH! Rose, you don't think?"

"I do think!" she replied. "It makes complete sense. The DNA replication, and the unlimited energy source…"

"It does make sense," The Doctor agreed, again running his hands through his hair. "But that's madness! Utter and complete—"

Jen cleared her throat loudly from across the room. When both Rose and The Doctor halted in their tracks, she smiled sweetly. "How about you share with the rest of the class?" she asked, teasingly.

"Jen," The Doctor replied, pointing at her. "What is the key ingredient to a Time Lord's regeneration cycle?"

"Time Vortex," she replied, eyeing him quizzically.

He closed his eyes briefly, and made a face. "Okay, okay," he replied, waving his hand encouragingly at her. "The second most important ingredient."

Jen looked at him as if he'd lost his mind, and had completely forgotten the most basic of his Academy lessons. "Energy," she replied, as if it were a no-brainer. Sudden realization hit her a moment later. "Energy," she repeated, her green eyes widening. "Oh, my God…"

"DNA replication," The Doctor said slowly. "Otherwise known as cloning…"

"Make several thousand Time Lord clones…" Jen continued.

"Kill them, force them to regenerate…" Rose added.

"And you've got your own, personal, Energizer bunny," Jack finished up grimly.


	20. Chapter 20

_Author's Note: Yay! I finally figured out where to go next and how to get there. This puppy is just about finished; should have one more chapter to go. _

Chapter Twenty

The hallowed halls of the Dannar Corporation were silent, as their CEO liked them. The occasional click of heels against the cold, tile floors echoed mutely through the corridors, but otherwise all was eerily still. On the top floor, a long, spacious corridor opened up into a large reception area in which a young secretary was industriously plowing through her days work. Two armored guards stood still and quiet behind her on either side of a pair of large, heavy wooden doors.

If one would open the door, they would find a slightly built, elderly man seated behind a large wooden desk. His white hair was combed straight back off of his nearly non-descript face. The only striking feature the man possessed was his startlingly dark eyes that seemed to bore out of his pale face and straight through whomever he chose to look at. His dress, too, was odd; a dark, old-fashioned jacket with an open-collared shirt and a burgundy cravat.

Papers seemed to fly by his face as he shuffled them from one side of the desk to the other, glancing at some, scrawling his name across others, his dark eyes flitting back and forth across the pages. In the background, a Mozart sonata could be heard playing softly, the only sound disrupting this tranquil, peaceful scene.

Or it was for several moments. Abruptly the man's tranquility was broken by a low, distant roar that seemed to come in waves. A rush of wind swept through the room, tearing his papers away from him and swirling them around the room. Annoyed, the man looked up to first see a flashing light materialize on the other side of the desk, immediately followed by a large, blue police box beneath it.

A moment later a younger, handsome man strolled out of the box. He had a thick thatch of dark hair and a jaunty grin. He was dressed rather smartly in a deep blue, pin-striped suit and a brown overcoat that he had shoved his hands into the pockets of. Dark eyes twinkling, his gaze rested on the older man and he smiled. "Oh, hello!" he cried.

"What are you doing here?" the older man demanded. "How did you get in here?"

The Doctor appeared to think this over briefly. "Well, I opened the door to my Tardis and walked in, of course" he began, approaching the desk. "And, I heard a rumor that you were looking for me," he explained. Still grinning, he stepped closer to the desk and leaned against it. "Since you went to all the trouble of killing our mutual friend Rooney for failing to introduce us, I assumed it must be pretty important. And so I thought I might come and introduce myself."

He leaned forward at this point, narrowing his eyes at the leader of the Dannar Corporation and lowered his voice to all but a low growl. "I'm the Doctor."

The man, however, looked unperturbed. "I know precisely who you are," he responded. "And I thank you for saving me the trouble of having to seek you out again."

"What exactly do you want with me?" The Doctor asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Before the man had time to reply, the doors to the Tardis once again opened and three more figures joined them in the spacious office. One of the figures, a tall, handsome man rounded the corner to face the desk and froze, startled. He recovered after a moment and reached under his jacket for his gun. "Bilis Manger," he muttered, darkly.

Bilis inclined his head and smiled slightly. "Captain Harkness," he acknowledged gallantly. "I can't say that I'm surprised to see you here, given your… infatuation with our friend the Doctor."

The Doctor allowed that comment to pass him by, but glanced over his shoulder at Jack. "You know this man?" he asked.

"Unfortunately," Jack replied, lifting the barrel of his weapon at the older man. The Doctor frowned at the action, but let that slide as well.

"Well since you're well acquainted," Jen spoke up as she and Rose walked up behind him, "how about you give the rest of us the pleasure of an introduction."

"I'm not sure how much of a pleasure it would be," Jack said to her, his eyes never leaving Bilis' face. "This man tried to wipe out all of humanity by using the time rift in Cardiff to unleash a horrific monster on the Earth."

"And that's precisely why I'm here now, Captain Harkness," Bilis interjected, calmly. "You ruined my plans earlier, and so I had to come up with an alternate solution."

"So what was your plan?" Rose asked, coming up to stand beside of Jack. Jen flanked his other side, and the three of them stood behind The Doctor as if sending Bilis a silent message that if he wanted the Doctor he would have to tangle with the three of them, first.

"I'm certain that the four of you have deduced most of it by now," he replied. "This corporation does specialize in genetic manipulation and cloning. I'm sure it wasn't a far stretch to conclude that I was planning to clone the good Doctor and harness the energy of his regeneration."

"How did you learn about me?" The Doctor asked.

"That was simple enough," Bilis smiled. "Torchwood computers offer a wealth of information."

The Doctor remained silent, but turned to glare over his shoulder at Jack, who could only shrug sheepishly.

"When you had the energy, what then?" Jen asked.

"Very simple," Bilis replied. "I could use that energy to open the rift and release Abaddon."

"You already released him, and I killed him," Jack reminded him. "This is pointless."

"Ah, but you see Captain Harkness," he said, smiling gallantly, "I do have the ability to travel to and fro in time, just as your Doctor does. Once I have the energy required, I can simply travel backwards in time to a point before you killed Abaddon, and open the rift then. He wouldn't be dead at that point, would he?"

A shocked silence filled the room. "You can't change the past," The Doctor finally spoke up, angrily. "Do you have any idea what sort of consequences that would create?"

"Consequences would be damned, along with the rest of the world, Doctor," Bilis retorted, coldly.

"We won't let you do this," Rose said in a threatening tone. "There are four of us but only one of you. We'll stop you."

Bilis only laughed. "Do you really think that you can stop me, dear girl?"

He pressed a button on the underside of his desk, and two panels slid open on opposite ends of the room. Armed sentry guards burst into the room from behind the panels, six on each end of the room. Each one held a large rifle in their hands, and raised it up to point the barrels at the intruders.

Jack swore under his breath. "Jen, Rose," he said under his breath. "Get behind me."

Jen shot him an exasperated look. "I'm not a helpless woman," she growled.

"I know you're not helpless, but you are unarmed," Jack retorted, angrily. "Now get behind me."

"Rose is right," The Doctor said cautiously, his hands in the air. "We can't let you do this."

"I don't think you have a choice, Doctor," Bilis replied, smirking.

By this time, Jack had reached the end of his patience. With an outraged cry, he tightened his grip on the pistol and pulled the trigger.

The guards were faster. Before Jack could fire on Bilis, his guards fired on Jack. A guttural sound escaped Jack's lips and he collapsed to the floor as the sound of gunfire died down.

"Idiot!" The Doctor cried. He had squatted to avoid gunfire himself, and whirled around to check on Jack's condition.

Jen was faster. "Jack!" she cried, falling to her knees by his side and cradling his head in her lap. Her fingers briefly rested on the side of his neck. Outraged, she glared up at Bilis. "He's dead," she said, her voice low and dangerous.

"I owed him that, for Lord Abaddon," Bilis sneered, disdainfully.

"That's what the idiot gets for firing," The Doctor said with a shake of the head.

Rose rounded on him. "You're awfully cavalier about the fact that Jack is dead!" she shouted at him, indignantly.

"Well if the idiot wanted to live then he shouldn't have shot the gun!" The Doctor retorted. "I've told him hundreds of times, violence only brings more violence."

As Rose and The Doctor argued, Jen detected a slight movement in her lap. She glanced down to see one blue eye staring back up at her. Jack winked the eye as he slid his hands covertly under his jacket. And then, in one swift motion, he withdrew the hands and tossed two sonic grenades at the groups of guards at either ends of the room. The guards were not killed, only knocked unconscious by the blast.

"How did you—?" Jen questioned as Jack openly grinned up at her.

"Well hello there," Jack replied. "It's nice to know that you care so much, my lovely Jenaria."

"Stop it," The Doctor spoke up, warningly.

"But I was just—!" Jack retorted, pushing himself up.

"You were flirting, and if you're going to put the moves on my daughter I'd appreciate it if you would at least have the courtesy to make sure I'm out of the room first. What am I saying?" he asked himself, and then pointed at Jack. "Don't do it at all!"

All four of them then turned to Bilis. "Your bodyguards are gone," Jack said, sauntering closer. "What are you going to do now?"

Bilis lifted a defiant chin. "I'll concede defeat – for now," he replied, warningly. "But I assure you, this won't be the last you see of me." And with that, Bilis vanished into time and space.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

"You knew all along that Jack would come back, didn't you?" Rose asked later that night as the four of them sat on the Tardis' main deck. She was tucked comfortably under the Doctor's arm as the two of them sat side-by-side on the pilot's seats.

"Well," The Doctor said, smiling down at her. "It's not the first time that I've seen him die." He paused to smile up at Jack. "And as reckless as he is, I'm sure it won't be the last."

"How did you do it?" Rose asked Jack as she rested her head on The Doctor's shoulder.

The question gave Jack pause. He stared silently at Rose for a moment. "It was your doing," he finally said, softly.

Confusion fell over her features. "My doing?"

Beside her, The Doctor nodded. "On the Game Station," he explained, "when you had absorbed the Time Vortex and resurrected Jack. You brought him back to life, but you weren't meant to do that. No one was meant to absorb the Vortex like that, Rose, and you had no control over it. You brought Jack back." He paused. "You brought him back permanently."

Jen had remained silent through the entire conversation, but now spoke up. "So you can't die?" she inquired of Jack.

"Oh, I can die," he replied. "I just don't stay that way."

Rose's eyes grew wide. "Oh, Jack," she breathed, remorsefully. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he brushed aside her concerns. "You were only trying to help." He frowned. "Although, I do keep aging. I'd love to know how that's going to end up…"

"So," The Doctor said to change the subject. "We obviously can't track Bilis, so we'll have to wait until he creeps up again. In the meantime, where to next?" He glanced at Rose. "We never did make it to Barcelona…"

"Actually," Jack spoke up, scratching the back of his head, "I should be returning to Cardiff. My team is probably waiting for me…"

"And that leaves me," Jen interjected. Her green eyes rested on her father. "I'm thrilled to have you back again," she began, "and I don't want to lose touch…"

"But?" he asked gently as he leaned forward.

"I'm not cut out for this nomadic life of traveling around in time and space," she responded. "I've lived one life in one place since the Time War, and if I'm going to be honest, I enjoyed it. Besides," she added, grinning mischievously, "I'm sure that the two of you would rather be alone, without my intruding."

Rose blushed, and The Doctor flushed and chuckled. "You wouldn't be intruding, Jen."

"Yes, I would. Whether you want to admit it or not, I would be."

"So what are you gonna do?" Rose asked.

"I suppose what I was doing before," Jen replied, smiling. "Find myself a nice, quiet place on a planet somewhere; get a job and a life." She pointed at Rose's mobile phone. "I can get me one of those and keep in touch with the pair of you."

"If you're going to do that," Jack spoke up, as he walked over and slipped an arm companionably around her shoulders, "then you could always settle on Earth and come to work for me."

"For you?" Jen asked.

"For Torchwood?" The Doctor sputtered, anger darkening his voice. "Absolutely not!"

"Torchwood?" Rose inquired. She looked at Jack. "You work for Torchwood?"

He nodded. "I head up Torchwood Three in Cardiff." He turned to Jen. "Torchwood specializes in alien life and technology. It's our job to prepare the Earth for alien contact and defend against invasion."

"By destroying any alien life that it comes into contact with," The Doctor interjected sardonically.

"It's not like that anymore," Jack replied defensively. "I've worked hard for a long time to change Torchwood and its outlook." He lifted a brow and offered The Doctor a challenging look. "What better way to help change Torchwood than adding a Time Lady to the staff?"

"I believe that it's my decision to make, anyway," Jen said to her father. She paused and gave Jack a long, searching look. "What would I be doing if I decided to join you?"

"You would be a wealth of knowledge and information," Jack said to her, resting his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "You could educate us and help us to educate and prepare the rest of the world."

"So you're going to use her?" The Doctor snapped. "Pick her brain?"

"No," Jack retorted, testily. He gazed earnestly at Jen. "I'm asking her to help."

A heavy silence hung in the room for several moments. "Alright," Jen finally replied. "I'll agree to it." The Doctor made a noise of protest, and he held up a silencing hand. "On a trial basis," she added, glancing reassuringly at her father. "If you truly want my help, then I'll agree to stay. But if I don't like what's going on, then I will leave."

* * *

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" The Doctor asked as he and Jen leaned against a rail outside the Millennium Center in Cardiff.

"No, I'm not," Jen replied. "But that's half the fun of it, isn't it?" She glanced across the square, where Jack had disappeared. "You don't trust him, do you?"

"In most cases, yes I do," he replied. "I'd trust Jack with my life." He paused and chuckled, "But with my daughter…"

"I'm not a little girl," she reminded him, grinning. "I can handle myself around Captain Harkness."

"Then maybe I should worry about him," he replied, and turned to draw her in for a parting hug. He squeezed her extra tightly. "You be careful," he said, softly. "I don't want to lose you again."

"The same goes for you," she replied. Stepping back, she held up the mobile phone she had just acquired. "And I'll be in touch." She grinned. "Maybe it'll be good for you to have a point of reference and someone to check in with occasionally," she said with a grin.

He made a face. "As long as I don't have to settle down and have a house and a mortgage and a dog," he replied with a shudder.

Jen laughed, the two shared one more hug, and he turned to head back to the Tardis.

Rose was left standing there, grinning at Jen, who lifted a brow and smiled at her. "I can't say that it's not weird to watch him ride off into the sunset with you," she said. "But he's happy, and that's all that matters."

"I hope he is," Rose replied, glancing over her shoulder. She paused and met Jen's gaze. "Thank you," she added softly.

"For what?"

"For giving him back to me."

A soft smile touched Jen's lips. "Just look after him," she replied. "That's all I ask in return." She paused and sighed. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you that he tends to get himself into trouble."

Rose laughed. "No, you don't have to tell me that."

"I can't tell you to keep him out of trouble, then," Jen added. "Just stick by his side."

"No," Rose said. "I won't leave him again. Not ever."

"Goodbye, Rose," Jen said, and reached for her new friend. The two hugged tightly, and then Rose pulled back and walked over to the Tardis. She paused at the door, waved, and disappeared inside. A moment later, the Tardis fired up its engines and then vanished from sight, leaving Jen standing in its windy wake to face her new life as the Doctor and Rose set out to continue theirs together.

_Author's Note: And that's the end! …Of this one. The adventures will continue in a sequel, set on Earth with the Torchwood crew. _

_And so…_

…_To Be Continued._


End file.
